WILLIAM  E.  DODGE: 


The  Christian  Merchant. 


BY 

CARLOS    MARTYN, 

Author  of  "A  Life  of  John  Milton"  "  The  Pilgrim  Fathers  of  Ne-w  England? 
"A  History  of  the  Huguenots"  "  Wendell  Phillips  :   The  Agitator"  etc. 


PRINTED   IN    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


FUNK   &   WAGNALLS. 

NEW   YORK:  LONDON: 

1 8  &  20  ASTOR  PLACE.  44  FLEET  STREET. 

A II  Rights  Reserved. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1890,  by 

FUNK    &    WAGNALLS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


PREFACE. 


THERE  are,  in  the  community,  many  men  of  one 
sided  force — men  with  a  jut.  They  make  their  way 
to  success  by  concentration  and  intensity.  Their 
power  lies  in  their  narrowness.  Most  men  are  human 
fragments.  As  Emerson  puts  it  :  "  One  is  a  mouth 
for  talking,  another  is  an  arm  for  striking,  a  third  is 
a  stomach  for  digesting,  and  a  fourth  is  a  leg  for 
walking  ;  this  one  is  a  pocket  for  retaining,  and  that 
one  is  a  brain  for  planning — there  are  few  complete 
men." 

This  is  especially  true  in  business,  which  is  com 
monly  conceived  of  as  founded  in  selfishness  and 
carried  on  in  greed.  Examples  of  business  success 
abound,  which  are  studied  and  copied,  but  which  are 
as  demoralizing  as  the  piracies  of  Captain  Kyd — and 
are  based  on  much  the  same  principles. 

William  E.  Dodge  was  a  prince  of  trade.  He  was 
always  and  justly  proud  of  his  calling.  Yet  he  was 
not  subdued  to  what  he  worked  in.  He  was  a  mer 
chant  ;  but  he  was  more.  Standing  on  the  dizzy 
heights  of  prosperity,  his  head  was  never  turned  so 
that  he  lost  his  balance.  One  of  the  busiest  of  men, 
manipulating  gigantic  affairs,  he  found  time  for  a 
thousand  interests  outside  of  his  counting-room  ;  and 
these,  instead  of  interfering  with  his  commercial 
enterprises,  worked  into  them,  tempered  them,  and, 
in  turn,  caught  from  them  something  of  the  method 
and  exactitude  of  the  business  habit.  He  is  the  best 
example  in  this  generation  of  the  business  man  in 

M150553 


IV  PREFACE. 

religion,  and  the  religious  man  in  business.  His 
career  proves  that  success  in  commerce  is  not  incon 
sistent  with  success  in  character.  Such  a  lesson  it  is 
a  pleasure  to  teach  and  an  honor  to  practice. 

Michael  Angelo  entered  a  Roman  palace  which 
Raphael  was  decorating.  The  keen  eye  of  the  artist- 
poet  instantly  saw  that  the  figures  on  the  ceiling  were 
too  small  for  the  room.  Picking  up  a  piece  of  char 
coal,  he  sketched  on  the  wall  an  immense  head  pro 
portioned  to  the  chamber,  and  said,  as  he  did  so  :  "I 
criticise  by  creation."  The  best  criticism  upon  a 
narrow  and  selfish  mercantile  spirit,  is  the  exhibition 
of  a  broad  and  generous  business  character — Angelo's 
criticism,  by  doing  better. 

Like  that  Khan  in  the  Eastern  story,  whose  gates 
stood  ever  open,  night  as  well  as  day,  so  that  when 
no  traveller  passed,  the  wind  sang  in  his  door  way  ; 
but  whether  king  came  or  beggar,  God  was  a  constant 
guest — Mr.  Dodge  carried  an  ear  wide  open  to  catch 
every  tone  of  human  interest,  a  hand  outstretched  in 
constant  but  discriminating  benefaction,  and  did  not 
"remember  to  forget"  that  at  what  time  he  least  ex 
pected  the  Son  of  God  might  come  to  test  his  heart's 
hospitality. 

Of  such  a  man,  who  would  not  say,  as  Leigh  Hunt 
does  of  "  Abou  Ben  Adhem." 

"  May  his  tribe  increase  ! " 

In  this  book,  whenever  it  was  possible,  biography 
has  become  autobiography,  and  Mr.  Dodge  has  been 
asked  to  tell  his  own  story.  Happily,  such  passages 
abound. 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  1890. 


CONTENTS. 


Preface iii_iv 

FIRST    DECADE. 
(1805-15.  ^Et.  i-io.) 

CHAPTER  I. 
Family  Reminiscences 12-16 

CHAPTER  II. 
Childhood 1 7-2 1 

SECOND    DECADE. 
(1815-25.  M\..  10-20.) 

CHAPTER  I. 
On  the  Threshold 25-32 

CHAPTER  II. 
Old  New  York 33_5o 

THIRD    DECADE. 
(1825-35.  ^t.  20-30.) 

CHAPTER  I. 
The  New  Sign  on  Pearl  Street 53~59 

CHAPTER  II. 
Marriage 60-67 

CHAPTER  III. 
Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co 68-73 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Business  Saints  and  Sinners 74-8 1 

CHAPTER  V. 

Wayside  Humanities 82-96 


VI  CONTENTS. 

FOURTH  DECADE. 
(1835-45.     y£t.  30-40.) 

CHAPTER  I. 
Opportunity 99-107 

CHAPTER  II. 
Difficulties 108-117 

CHAPTER  III. 
Development 1 1 8-1 29 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Across  the  Ocean 130-140 

FIFTH    DECADE. 
(1845-55.  ^t.  40-50.) 

CHAPTER  I. 
Sources  of  Wealth 143-149 

CHAPTER  II. 
Changes  150-155 

CHAPTER  III. 
In  the  Counting-room 156-163 

SIXTH    DECADE. 
(1855-65.  yEt.  50-60.) 

CHAPTER  I. 
Various   Experiences 167-172 

CHAPTER  II. 
Public  Affairs I73-I79 

CHAPTER  III. 
Efforts  for  Peace 180-188 

CHAPTER  IV. 
To  Arms  ! 189-198 

CHAPTER  V. 
In  War  Time's 199-212 


CONTENTS.  V 

SEVENTH    DECADE. 
(1865-75.  JEt.  60-70.) 

CHAPTER  I. 
After-math 215-225 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Contest  fora  Seat ; 226-229 

CHAPTER  III. 
Congressman   Dodge 230-235 

CHAPTER  IV. 
What  He  Said  in  Washington 236-247 

CHAPTER  V. 
Monumental  Occurrences 248-254 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Schooling  the  Blacks 255-259 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Aborigines 260-269 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Eyes  and  Ears  Wide  Open 270-276 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Doings  and  Sayings  Abroad  and  at  Home 277-292 

EIGHTH    DECADE— BROKEN. 
(1875-83.  jEt.  70-78.) 

CHAPTER  I. 
At  the  Fireside 295-300 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Golden  Wedding 301-310 

CHAPTER  III. 
Towards  Evening 311-318 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Rest 3IQ-322 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Verdict 323-335 


"  ----  who  valliantly  served  towards  the  public  good  and  en 
couraged  their  heirs  and  successors  to  follow  in  like  virtue  and 
noble  conduct."  —  Ancient  Patent  of  the  Dodge  Family,  dated 
April  8th, 


"  I  know  not  the  man,  at  this  period  of  time,  who  occupies  a 
position  more  exalted  above  the  valor  of  the  soldier  or  the  arts 
of  the  politician,  with  opportunities  more  auspicious  in  their 
bearing  on  the  well-being  of  society,  than  a  merchant,  intelligent 
in  mind,  honest  in  principle,  cultivated  in  tastes,  simple  in  man 
ners,  generous  in  sympathies,  liberal  in  conception,  bountiful  in 
gifts  —  the  accredited  friend  of  letters,  science,  art,  charity  and 
religion,  standing  on  the  summit  of  commercial  success,  the 
honored  almoner  of  a  benignant  Providence."  —  Rev.  William 
Adams,  D.D. 

"  I  hold  every  man  a  debtor  to  his  profession  ;  from  the 
which  as  men  of  course  do  seek  to  receive  countenance  and 
profit,  so  ought  they  of  duty  to  endeavor  themselves  by  way  of 
amends  to  be  a  help  and  ornament  thereunto."  —  Bacon, 
"  Maxims  of  the  Law"  Preface. 

"  A  Christian  is  the  highest  style  of  man."  —  Young,  "Night 
Thoughts.  Night  IV.  , 


FIRST      DECADE. 


(i8o5-i5.    ,ET  i-io.) 


WILLIAM  E.  DODGE. 


CHAPTER     I. 

FAMILY      REMINISCENCES. 

"  OTHER  things  being  equal,"  remarks  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes,  "  give  me  the  man  who  has  a  long 
line  of  family  portraits  hanging  on  his  walls."  Cer 
tain  it  is  that  blood  will  tell,  both  for  good  and  evil. 
The  life  that  has  been  soaked  in  animalism  for  genera 
tions,  will  repeat  itself  in  the  stunted  form,  the 
shallow  pate,  the  sensual  desire  of  countless  de 
scendants.  It  is  likewise  true  that  noble  character 
begets  after  its  own  image,  and  is  reproduced  in  con 
tinuous  and  gracious  personalities.  The  law  of 
heredity  sweeps  through  nature  and  human  nature. 

Ask  the  physicians  if  our  ancestors  decide  nothing 
for  us,  or  if  there  be  anything  they  do  not  decide. 
"  Read  the  description  in  medical  books  of  the  four 
temperaments,"  says  Emerson,  "  and  you  will  think 
you  are  reading  your  own  thoughts  which  you  had 
not  yet  told.  Find  the  part  which  black  eyes,  and 
which  blue  eyes,  play  severally  in  the  company. 
How  shall  a  man  escape  from  his  progenitors  ?  It 
often  appears  in  a  family  as  if  all  the  qualities  of  the 


12  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

ancestors  were  potted  in  several  jars — some  ruling 
quality  in  each  son  or  daughter  of  the  house.  Some 
times  the  unmixed  temperament,  the  unmitigated 
,  elixir,  the  family  vice  or  virtue,  is  drawn  off  in  a 
separate  individual,  and  the  others  are  proportionally 
relieved  or  impoverished,  as  the  case  may  be,  by  the 
excess  in  this  one.  We  often  see  a  change  of  ex 
pression  in  our  companion,  and  say  his  father  or  his 
mother  comes  to  the  windows  of  his  eyes — and  fre 
quently  a  remote  relative.  In  different  hours  a  man 
represents  each  of  several  of  his  progenitors  as  if 
there  were  seven  or  eight  of  us  rolled  up  in  each 
man's  skin  ;  and  they  constitute  the  variety  of  notes 
for  that  new  piece  of  music  which  his  life  is." 

William  E.  Dodge  illustrates  this.  His  family  is 
ancient.  Their  original  home  was  not  far  from 
bustling  Liverpool  (then  a  fishing  hamlet),  and  under 
the  walls  of  England's  oldest  city,  venerable  Chester. 
Away  back  in  the  chivalric  days  of  the  Edwards  and 
the  Henrys  the  family  comes  into  historic  notice,  and 
marches  honorably  across  the  pages  of  the  musty 
records  of  the  Herald's  College.  Stout  knights  and 
lusty  men-at-arms  were  they,  battling  valiantly  for 
their  country  and  conscience, — proclivities  vividly 
re-appearing  in  their  Yankee  descendant. 

The  first  American  Dodge  was  an  Englishman,  who 
landed  at  Salem  in  1629 — one  of  the  founders  of 
empire  in  the  new  world.  He  was  a  "  gentleman  " 
(the  title  in  those  days  signified  social  position),  and 
a  promoter  of  schools  and  churches — qualities  again 
exemplified  further  down  and  all  along  the  Yankee 
line,  and  most  illustriously  of  all  in  our  merchant- 
prince. 


FAMILY    REMINISCENCES.  13 

This  first  Dodge  was  named  William.  Later  he 
was  joined  in  New  England  by  his  brother  Richard. 
From  them  have  sprung  descendants  now  settled  in 
almost  every  State  in  the  Union  ;  men  and  women 
who  have  noticeably  reproduced  the  personal  worth 
of  their  ancestors  ;  who  have  figured  prominently  in 
the  colonial  and  national  annals,  in  the  old  Indian 
battles,  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  and  in  the  war 
for  the  Union  ;  and  who,  remembering,  with  Milton, 
that 

" Peace  hath  her  victories 

No  less  renown'd  than  war," 

have  served  God  and   their  fellows   in   church  and 
state. 

The  more  immediate  ancestors  of  William  E.  Dodge 
swarmed  out  of  the  old  family  hive  in  Salem,  but  re 
mained  in  New  England.  His  grandfather,  David 
Dodge,  was  a  manufacturer  of  army  wagons  in  the 
War  for  Independence,  and  a  friend  of  General  Israel 
Putnam.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  became  a  farmer 
in  Connecticut.  He  married  a  widow,  a  Mrs.  Earl 
(whence  comes  Mr.  Dodge's  middle  name),  a  woman 
of  strong  religious  character,  and  an  adherent  of  the 
famous  Whitefield,  that  tongue  of  fire,  whose  preach 
ing  Whittier  thus  describes  : 

"  And  the  hearts  of  the  people  when  he  passed 
Swayed  as  the  reeds  sway  in  the  blast, 
Under  the  spell  of  a  voice  which  took 
In  its  compass  the  flow  of  Siloa's  brook, 
And  the  mystical  chimes  of  the  bells  of  gold 
On  the  Ephod's  hem  of  the  priest  of  old  ; 
Now  the  roll  of  thunder,  and  now  the  awe 
Of  the  trumpet  heard  in  the  Mount  of  Law." 


14  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

The  son  of  this  couple  was  David  Low  Dodge. 
He  was  a  man  alert,  sagacious,  enterprising — a  self- 
taught  scholar,  who  in  earlier  life  was  a  successful 
teacher,  but  who,  later,  gave  himself  to  business,  in 
which  he  was  equally  successful.  His  religious 
nature  was  pronounced,  and  when  grace  fertilized  it, 
brought  forth  a  bountiful  harvest  of  good  works. 
Like  his  illustrious  son,  he  carried  his  piety  into  his 
life,  and  enthroned  it  in  his  Ledger.  Serious 
impressions  marked  his  boyhood,  and  sometimes 
deepened,  sometimes  lightened,  as  he  grew  toward 
manhood.  But  it  was  not  until  he  was  an  adult  that 
he  united  with  the  church.  Those  were  the  days 
which  immediately  followed  the  Revolutionary  war. 
The  whole  country  was  demoralized.  Men  who  had 
learned  to  be  familiar  with  bloodshed  and  spoliation 
in  the  camp  brought  the  military  habit  into  peace. 
Profanity  was  gentlemanly.  Duelling  was  honorable. 
Force  was  lawful — the  lesson  of  strife.  Most  young 
men  imbibed  this  spirit,  and  paraded  with  rattling 
firelock  or  jingling  spurs,  a  rollicking  set,  playing  at 
war  when  the  battle-flags  were  furled  and  the  cannon 
unlimbered.  In  such  a  scene,  what  wonder  if  religion 
were  difficult  ? 

Those  were  the  days,  too,  in  which  the  time  of  the 
children  belonged  to  the  parents.  If  a  boy  wished 
to  be  his  own  master,  he  had  to  buy  his  time.  On 
this  point  the  average  father  was  inexorable.  What 
would  Young  America  say  to  that  nowadays  ? 
Before  he  could  leave  the  farm  and  set  up  as  a  school 
master,  young  Dodge  was  obliged,  following  this  now 
unfashionable  custom,  to  pay  his  father  for  a  release. 

It  was  while  teaching  school   in   Norwich,  Conn., 


FAMILY    REMINISCENCES.  15 

that  David  Dodge  met  his  fate  (a  gracious  and 
enviable  fate)  in  the  charming  person  of  Miss  Sarah 
Cleveland.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Aaron  Cleve 
land,  a  cultivated  and  reputable  merchant  —  an 
ancestor  of  ex-President  Grover  Cleveland,  who 
afterwards  became  a  Congregational  minister.  They 
were  married  in  1798.  Both  were  at  this  time  earnest 
and  devout  Christians.  Soon  after  Mr.  Dodge  ex 
changed  school  teaching  for  business,  in  which  his 
career  was  long  and  honorable.  The  exigences  of 
trade  called  him  hither  and  thither.  At  the  outset 
he  resided  in  Hartford,  Conn.  Thence  he  came  to  New 
York,  only,  however,  a  few  years  later  to  return  to 
Yankee  land,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his 
final  removal  to  Gotham,  in  1825.  Mr.  Dodge  was  a 
dealer  in  dry  goods.  To  this  business  he  added  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  cloth,  being  at  the  head  of  the 
first  cotton  mill  ever  erected  in  Connecticut,  where 
now  every  nimble  little  river  is  busy  in  turning  a 
great  water  wheel,  and  every  hamlet  is  devoted  to 
that  fabrication. 

Side  by  side  with  his  business  interests  David  Low 
Dodge  gave  himself  to  a  wide  and  diversified  round 
of  collateral  pursuits.  He  was  the  patron  of  churches, 
in  one  or  another  of  which  he  was  an  officer  for  many 
years.  He  was  the  friend  and  co-laborer  of  ministers, 
with  a  well-used  prophet's  chamber  always  in  his 
house.  He  formed  and  became  President  of  the  New 
York  Peace  Society,  the  first  ever  publicly  or 
ganized — a  reaction  from  the  intense  militarism  of 
his  boyhood.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
New  York  Bible  and  Tract  Societies  ;  children  which 
still  survive  in  increasing  vigor  and  usefulness,  and 


j6  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

afford  him  a  monument  more  illustrious  and  enduring 
than  bronze  or  marble.  And  it  was  in  his  parlors, 
down  there  at  the  corner  of  William  and  Platt  streets, 
that  Christian  clerks  of  his  own  and  other  stores 
formed  the  Young  Men's  Missionary  Society — the 
John  the  Baptist  of  City  Missions— and  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  of  New  York.  A  benevo 
lence  so  diversified  and  fertile  could  not  fail  to  bear 
good  fruit  in  his  own  home.  Who  can  doubt  that 
the  world  is  indebted  to  this  example  for  the  yet 
larger  commercial  operations  and  philanthropic 
efforts  of  the  son,  blended  like  the  father's  in  equal 
and  harmonious  measure  ?  l 

The  glory  of  the  fathers  is  the  children — children 
not  what  they  were,  but  what  they  would  be  with 
present  opportunities. 


1  The  chronology  of    the  family  of    David  Low  Dodge    is   as 
follows    : 

Julia  Stuart, 
Sarah  Cleveland, 
David  Stuart, 
WILLIAM  EARL, 
Mary  Abiah, 
Elizabeth  Clement, 
Susan  Pratt. 


CHAPTER  1 1. 

CHILDHOOD. 

WILLIAM  E.  DODGE  was  born  on  the  4th  of  Septem 
ber,  1805,  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  which  was  then  a 
town  of  a  few  thousand  inhabitants.  The  population 
was  homogeneous.  Life  was  simple,  almost  Arcadian. 
The  tone  was  grave.  Industry  and  economy  were 
king  and  queen — the  only  sovereigns  recognized  and 
obeyed  in  that  fiercely  republican  locality.  The 
battle  with  nature,  rough  and  surly,  had  left  its 
marks.  These  Yankees  carried  brains  in  their  fingers. 
The  qualities  of  invention  and  enterprise  were  highly 
valued.  Everything  conspired  to  develop  self-reli 
ance.  Faculty  was  the  good  genius  of  the  place. 
The  importance  of  environment  is  now  more  widely 
realized  than  it  was  then,  but  it  was  as  influential 
then  as  it  is  now.  Who  can  doubt  that  the  character 
of  his  birthplace  marked  and  moulded  this  boy  ? 

Modern  Hartford  has  obliterated  the  spot  where 
young  Dodge  first  saw  the  light.  Improvement  is  a 
Frankenstein  which  lives  by  devouring  the  traditions 
and  sentiments  of  the  past.  No  matter.  The  world 
moves  on.  And  in  this  case,  he  moved  on  with  it  ; 
nay,  helped  lustily  to  move  it  on — and  up. 

Mr.  David  Low  Dodge  had  two  dry  goods  stores, 
which  he  carried  on  upon  a  pay-as-you-go  basis — one 
in  Hartford,  the  other  in  Litchfield,  not  faraway,  and 


l8  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

at  that  date  the  seat  of  a  law  school  and  an  aristo 
cratic  center.  Thus  from  his  tenderest  years,  William 
breathed  a  business  atmosphere,  and  was  accustomed 
to  hear  questions  of  profit  and  loss,  of  dividends  and 
no  dividends,  of  ways  and  means,  discussed. 

In  the  spring  of  1807,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
Messrs.  S.  and  H.  Higginson,  who  were  related  to 
Mrs.  Dodge,  eminent  and  wealthy  importers  and  job 
bers,  of  Boston,  Mr.  Dodge  entered  into  a  copartner 
ship,  and  opened  a  branch  house  in  New  York.  The 
store  in  Hartford  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  senior 
clerk,  that  in  Litchfield  was  intrusted  to  a  Mr.  Stephen 
Dodge,  a  worthy  man,  who  had  been  conducting  it, 
but  not  a  relative. 

The  residence  where  William  had  been  born  was 
retained  and  occupied  by  Mrs.  Dodge's  father,  Mr. 
Cleveland.  The  next  summer  the  yellow  fever  in 
vaded  New  York,  and  the  Dodge  family  took  refuge 
in  the  Connecticut  mansion.  Avoiding  the  yellow 
fever,  they  fell  in  with  a  disease  even  more  formid 
able — the  spotted  fever.  First  the  husband  and 
father  was  prostrated.  He  was  barely  convalescent 
when  William,  a  child  of  three  years,  was  stricken 
down  with  scarlet  fever.  In  the  midst  of  these  ex 
periences  the  wife  again  became  a  mother,  and  was, 
of  course,  shut  up  and  in.  The  father  watched  day 
and  night  at  the  bedside  of  his  little  son,  who,  after 
being  given  up,  finally  rallied.  The  yellow  flag  was 
happily  run  down,  and  what  had  been  a  hospital  once 
more  became  a  home. 

William  was  a  peculiarly  active  boy.  He  seemed 
to  have  solved  the  old  problem  of  perpetual  motion  ; 
a  solution,  for  the  matter  of  that,  which  is  hit  upon 


CHILDHOOD.  19 

by  most  healthy  boys.  But  if  one  were  called  upon 
to  paint  this  lad  in  a  word,  the  word  would  be  alert. 
He  kept  his  ears  and  eyes  open,  wide  open.  Nothing 
escaped  him.  With  a  big  heart  throbbing  in  his 
breast,  a  clear  head  topping  his  shoulders,  a  bright, 
dark  eye  lighting  up  his  countenance,  and  a  strong 
arm  hanging  at  his  side,  he  was  always  ready  to  help 
himself  and  to  lend  a  hand.  Like  most  honest  and 
large  natures,  he  loved  animals.  Horses,  especially, 
were  his  delight,  a  partiality  he  never  lost. 

At  the  outset  William  went  to  school  at  his 
mother's  knee.  Is  there  any  other  and  later  school 
quite  equal  to  that  ?  More  that  is  fundamental  and 
a  key  to  all  the  rest  is  learned  from  the  lips  and  the 
example  of  the  mother,  than  from  any  and  all  other 
sources.  The  child's  heart  is  wax.  His  feelings  are 
an  aspen  leaf.  The  mother  sits  on  a  throne  and  weal 
or  woe  are  ministers  to  do  her  bidding.  Like  a  god 
dess,  she  decrees  the  future,  originates  predestination, 
and  tells  Fate  himself  what  to  do.  In  this  case  the 
mother  was  a  queen  worthy  of  her  prerogatives.  She 
was  a  woman  of  rare  balance,  a  devoted  Christian, 
and  possessed  solid  judgment  and  eminent  fidelity. 
She  wrote  her  truthfulness  and  love  upon  the  open 
and  receptive  pages  of  the  lad's  character.  The  affec 
tion  between  these  two  was  beautiful  to  see.  It 
grew  with  his  growth,  survived  the  changes  of  early 
and  later  manhood,  and  blossomed  under  the  snows 
of  age.  Lovely  mother  !  Worthy  son  !  We  can  see 
the  little  fellow  as  he  toddles  across  the  floor  to  learn 
the  alphabet  from  her  patient  lips.  We  mark  the 
teacher  and  the  student  ;  and  observe  how  careful  she 
is  to  add  those  other  and  higher  lessons  which  may 


20  WILt-lAM     E.     BODGE. 

only  be  mastered  in  the  nursery,  that  school  of  the 
heart — lessons  of  filial  affection,  of  purity,  of  chival 
rous  regard  for  weakness,  of  helpful  pity  for  the  un 
fortunate,  of  martyr  faithfulness  to  duty,  of  reverent 
love  for  God.  Ah,  here  is  the  smithy  in  which  noble 
character  is  forged  and  welded.  It  may  be  questioned 
whether  history  exhibits  any  strong-featured  and 
splendid  character  which  does  not  show  this  mother 
work.  When  Mrs.  Dodge  had  done  her  part,  and 
done  it  well,  in  the  fabrication  of  his  mental  and 
moral  nature,  he  went  forth  to  other,  but  never  to 
better  schools.  A  sad  day  for  both.  Sad  for  the 
mother,  because  her  creation  is  to  take  on  different, 
perhaps  less  happy  tuition.  The  baby  is  become  a 
boy,  necessitating  the  laying  away  other  things  be 
side  those  long  dresses  and  tiny  shoes.  Sad  for  the 
lad,  because  now  hands  less  gentle  and  a  heart  less 
loving  must  mould  the  yet  nascent  disposition  and 
guide  the  still  tottering  steps.  The  sacred  tie  is  not 
broken,  but  stretched.  Rival  influences  begin  to 
work.  Pity  the  mother.  Pity  the  child. 

At  this  period  the  family,  as  we  have  seen,  was 
migratory.  Young  Dodge's  schools  were  equally  so. 
He  was  taught  first  in  New  York,  whither  he  had  been 
taken  in  his  infancy,  then  at  Norwich,  in  the  land  of 
steady  habits  again,  and  then  in  Mendham,  in  New 
Jersey.  But  always  his  mother's  prayers  accom 
panied  him.  And  his  father,  too,  an  able  and  experi 
enced  instructor,  was  of  service  to  him  at  this  time,  in 
implanting  habits  of  study  and  in  pointing  out 
courses  of  reading.  He  was  a  natural  student,  loved 
books,  made  friends  of  them,  improved  his  opportuni 
ties,  and  eagerly  transferred  the  contents  of  his  text- 


CHILDHOOD.  21 

books  to  his  own  brain.  In  this  home  there  were 
other  children — a  nest  of  sisters  with  two  brothers  in 
it.  An  only  child  is  to  be  pitied.  Such  an  one 
misses  the  finest  elements  of  culture.  What  becomes, 
in  such  a  case,  of  the  bearing  and  forbearing,  of  the 
social  sympathies,  of  the  generous  rivalries,  of  the 
growth  by  friction  with  kindred  natures,  of  the  de 
lightful  comaradarie  ?  An  only  child  is  apt  to  be  a 
spoiled  child.  Where  there  are  many,  all  demand  so 
much  that  no  one  can  easily  get  the  whole.  Especi 
ally  happy  is  it  when  the  family  brood  is  mixed.  The 
sexes  learn  much  from  each  other.  It  is  easy  to  discern 
boys  and  girls  who  have  grown  up  apart. 

William,  we  are  told,  was  an  unselfish  and  gallant 
lad,  fond  of  play  but  not  fond  of  strife,  a  peace 
maker,  a  tender  nurse  in  sickness,  quick  to  do  any 
kind  act  for  his  sisters,  and  their  stalwart  champion. 
Yes,  this  was  a  boy  to  love,  to  be  proud  of,  to  predict 
a  high  future  for.  So,  in  this  place  and  in  that,  now 
in  the  streets  of  the  roaring  city,  now  in  the  quiet 
meadows  and  lanes  of  the  country,  one  day  on  his 
mother's  lap,  and  the  next  yonder  on  the  benches  and 
upon  the  play-ground  of  the  school,  passed 

" Careless  boyhood,  living  the  free 

Unconscious  life  of  bird  and  tree." 


SECOND     DECADE. 

(l8l5-25.      JET    IO-2O.) 


CHAPTER     I. 

ON      THE       THRESHOLD. 

THE  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Hanson  Cox,  father  of  the 
present  Cleveland  Cox,  Bishop  of  Western  New  York, 
was  one  of  the  most  quaint  and  striking  figures  of 
the  by-gone  generation.  His  head  was  large,  his 
heart  was  warm,  his  eloquence  was  brilliant.  He 
was  a  walking  cyclopaedia  of  fact  and  fancy.  He  had 
married  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Dodge,  and  was  therefore 
William's  uncle.  It  was  under  his  roof-tree  in  Mend- 
ham,  New  Jersey,  that  the  lad  resided  while  at  school 
in  that  town. 

In  the  year  1818  his  school  life  abruptly  terminated, 
with  a  suddenness  that  suggests  the  stoppage  by  air 
brakes  of  a  railroad  train  thundering  along  at  the 
rate  of  forty  miles  an  hour.  He  was  not  yet  thirteen 
when  a  letter  came  from  his  father  summoning 
him  to  New  York.  On  reaching  home,  he  learned 
that,  in  fulfillment  of  a  promise  made,  that  he  should 
serve  as  a  clerk  to  the  brothers  Merrit,  when  they 
should  go  into  business,  he  was  to  begin  life  at  once 
in  a  wholesale  dry  goods  house  just  opened  by  them. 
The  little  fellow  took  hold  with  a  will,  and  trudged 
about  for  more  than  a  year  in  a  contented  and  ser 
viceable  spirit.  At  the  end  of  twelve  months  he  was 
delighted  to  receive  a  silver  watch  as  a  token  of  his 


26  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

employer's  high  regard.  A  boy's  first  watch  !  We 
can  see  him  fondle  it,  place  it  to  his  ear,  fasten  it 
ostentatiously  in  his  vest,  show  it  to  his  parents, 
exhibit  it  to  his  associates.  A  watch  and  a  reward  of 
merit,  both  in  one  !  Who  would  not  prize  it  ?  It 
was  an  old-fashioned  affair,  big  enough  for  a  town 
clock,  almost,  with  a  heavy  double  case.  He  wore  it 
for  many  years,  and  it  is  now  preserved  as  an  heir 
loom  in  the  family.  No  later  time-piece,  though 
fashioned  by  Geneva's  most  cunning  artificers,  could 
ever  be  to  him  what  that  massive  ticker  was,  watch 
and  clock  in  one. 

Presently,  presto,  another  change.  Mr.  Dodge, 
senior,  was  called  to  take  charge  of  a  cotton  mill 
established  by  himself  and  his  associates  at  Bozrah- 
ville,  in  Connecticut.  It  seems  that  the  family  was 
financially  embarrassed.  The  self-reliant  lad,  re 
solved  now,  as  always,  to  be  independent,  a  help,  not 
a  clog,  asked  for  and  obtained  a  position  in  the 
country  store  connected  with  the  factory.  It  was  a 
good  move  for  him  and  for  the  store  ;  for  him,  be 
cause  it  widened  his  experience,  enlarged  his  know 
ledge,  and  enabled  him  to  master  details  in  those 
lower  grades  of  trade,  without  which  a  business  man 
is  not  completely  equipped  ;  for  the  store,  because 
the  young  clerk's  beaming  face,  suavity  of  manner 
and  gumption,  captivated  customers.  Every  old 
housewife  within  a  circuit  of  ten  miles  riding  in  upon 
errands  of  barter,  would  rein  up  at  the  dismounting- 
block  and  remain  on  horseback  until  the  popular  lad 
was  at  liberty  to  help  her  off  and  chatter  with  her 
over  the  exchange  of  butter  and  eggs  for  dry  goods 
and  groceries.  Yes,  he  must  fetch  in  the  saddle-bags, 


ON    THE    THRESHOLD.  27 

and  he  must  stand  behind  the  counter — no  one  else 
would  serve. 

Marking  all  this  with  great  satisfaction,  the  father 
said  one  day  :  "  William,  it  pleases  me  to  see  you 
making  such  headway.  See  here,  boy,  I  have  set 
apart  this  show  case  here  at  this  end  of  the  store  for 
your  very  own.  Stock  it  to  suit  yourself.  Whatever 
you  make  here  shall  be  yours  alone." 

It  was  a  judicious  encouragement,  earned  and  ap 
preciated.  He  did  stock  it  with  varieties,  bought 
from  peddlers,  gewgaws  which  found  a  ready  market. 
Then  and  there  in  that  little  corner  was  laid  the  nest- 
egg  out  of  which  was  hatched  the  future  millionaire. 

Sooth  to  say,  his  industry  and  energy  outran  his 
strength,  for,  remember,  he  was  not  yet  fifteen. 
Working  early  and'  late,  and  slighting  his  meals,  he 
soon  fell  sick.  A  boy  cannot  nibble  at  crackers  and 
cheese  when  he  should  be  eating  good  roast  beef, 
without  physical  peril.  Still  less  may  he  overstrain 
his  vitality  by  the  neglect  of  sleep  and  recreation 
without  a  stern  protest  from  nature.  It  was  a  whole 
some  lesson  for  the  ambitious  boy,  early  administered, 
but  not  too  well  learned,  for  he  never  spared  himself 
enough.  Considerate  of  others  to  a  fault,  personally 
he  illustrated  Goethe's  line  from  first  to  last  : 

"  Without  haste,  without  rest." 

Well,  as  he  would  not  pause  of  his  own  volition, 
nature  took  him  in  hand  and  cried  a  halt.  For  weeks 
he  was  a  compulsory  idler.  His  regimen  of  con 
valescence  consisted  of  two  items  :  first,  huckleberries, 
of  which  he  was  very  fond,  and  the  season  for  which 
chanced  to  fall  upon  these  days  of  returning  health  ; 


28  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

second,  long  drives  about  the  country  on  such 
errands  as  offered,  intermingled  with  desultory  trad 
ing,  in  a  wagon  without  springs — a  method  which 
might  be  warranted  to  kill  or  cure.  In  this  case  it 
cured,  and  he  resumed  work  with  new  vim.  A  year 
or  two  later  we  find  him  regularly  visiting  New  York 
(in  those  days  no  pleasant  jaunt  of  a  few  hours,  but  a 
tedious  journey  by  stage  coach,  or  yet  slower  sailing 
vessel)  to  buy  the  entire  stock  handled  in  the  store. 
Clearly,  his  early  withdrawal  from  school  was  not 
injurious  businesswise.  The  French  have  a  saying  : 
Le  monde  est  le  livre  (the  world  is  a  book).  With  this 
book  William  became  speedily  acquainted — turned 
and  thumbed  every  page.  In  so  far  as  getting  on  in 
the  world  is  concerned,  it  is  far  more  essential  to 
know  men  than  to  know  letters.  Happy  is  he  \vho 
knows  both. 

If  the  merchant  was  growing,  in  these  years,  so 
also  was  the  Christian.  The  development  was  simul 
taneous,  like  the  later  and  illustrious  manifestation. 
Those  childish  prayers,  lisped  before  the  altar  of  a 
mother's  lap,  the  lessons  learned  out  of  the  family 
Bible,  the  careful  instructions  in  the  catechism,  even 
the  visits  to  the  cold  church,  with  the  thermometer 
below  Zero,  where  the  congregation,  old  and  young, 
sat  through  the  long  sermon  with  tingling  toes  and 
finger  tips,  while  water  froze,  but  men  and  women 
grew  ;  such  were  the  seeds  sown  in  the  good  ground 
of  an  honest  heart,  certain  to  spring  up  by-and-bye 
and  bring  forth  a  gracious  harvest. 

Religion  was  in  the  air.  Bozrahville  was  com 
pletely  evangelized.  The  very  factory  was  a  vast 
church.  It  was  established  at  a  prayer  meeting. 


ON    THE    THRESHOLD.  29 

The  contract  took  the  form  of  a  covenant,  which 
pledged  the  proprietors  "  to  maintain,  as  a  primary 
object,  a  moral  and  religious  establishment."  Pref 
erence  was  given  to  operatives  who  were  Christians, 
and  although  strict  regulations  were  enforced,  a 
superior  body  of  working  people  could  always  be 
found  there.  A  continuous  revival  went  on.  Thus 
the  good  were  prayed  in  and  the  bad  were  prayed  out. 
From  Bozrahville  the  generous  contagion  spread 
into  the  surrounding  villages.  The  pastors  were 
evangelists.  The  people  were  lay  workers.  Oc 
casionally  some  luminary  of  the  Gospel  blazed 
athwart  the  local  firmament,  like  the  half-inspired 
Nettleton,  who  at  this  very  moment  was  flashing  the 
truth  into  the  conscience  of  crowds  yonder  at  Hart 
ford. 

"  It  was  as  if  an  angel's  voice 
Called  the  listeners  up  for  their  final  choice ; 
As  if  a  strong  hand  rent  apart 
The  veils  of  sense  from  soul  and  heart, 
Showing  in  light  ineffable 
The  joys  of  heaven  and  woes  of  hell ! " 

Dwelling  in  such  a  home,  residing  in  such  a  com 
munity,  reared  amid  such  influences,  there  was  noth 
ing  for  it  but  to  yield  or  run.  Young  Dodge  yielded. 
He  had  been  preparing  to  yield  from  babyhood.  His 
mother's  character  and  persuasions,  his  father's  con 
versations  and  example  (the  elder  Dodge  was  himself 
instant  and  earnest  in  all  this  revival  work),  the  in 
fectious  atmosphere  which  he  breathed  without  as 
well  as  within,  wrought  mightily  upon  him.  He  had 
not  yet  seen  his  way  to  unite  with  the  church.  But 
his  disposition  was  frank,  cheerful,  upright.  He  had 


30  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 


no  evil  habits   or  associates.     In  his  dealings  he  was 
honest    and    straightforward.     He    was    a    filial    son. 
He    listened    attentively   and    appreciatively    to    the 
instruction   of  pulpit.     He   could  not  remember  the 
time  when  he  did   not  pray  and   read   the  Bible.     In 
fact,  he  was  already  a  Christian,  and   needed   only  to 
make  a  public  confession  in  order  to  fix  his  state  and 
put  his  influence   on   the  side  of   God.     It  was  neces 
sary  that  he  should  stand  up  and  be  counted.     There 
is  something  spirit  stirring,  even  to  a  spectator,  in  the 
hour  which   brings  a  man  face  to   face  with  the   In 
finite,  when  he  is  moved  to  debate  in  the  arena  of  his 
soul  the    awful    question   of  eternal   destiny,   and   is 
awakened  to   the  consciousness  that  he  was  made  to 
companion  with    archangels.     In   such   an   hour  how 
poor  and  trifling  earth  seems,  of  how  little  worth  its 
paltry  ambitions.     The  divine   is  felt   in  the   human. 
The  immortal  in  the  mortal  soars  and  sings.     Life  is 
recognized  as  real   and   earnest  ;  but  the  routine  of 
the  household  and  the  whirl  of  business  are  the  bat 
tle   fields  on  which   to   win  heaven.     Self-sacrifice  is 
transfigured    into    privilege.       Burdens,    disappoint 
ments,  tears,  are  changed  by  the  magic  of  unquestion 
ing   faith   into   stepping   stones  to  a  house   not  made 
with    hands   and   a   diadem   which   shall    never  fade 
away.     Daniel  Webster,  of  whom  it   may  be   said,  as 
Grattan  said   of   Fox  :  "  You   must   measure  such  a 
'  mind   by  parallels   of  latitude,"  when   an   inquisitive 
friend,  wishing  to  explore  the  secret  of  that  continen 
tal  intellect,  asked  him  :  "  What,  Mr.  Webster,  is  the 
greatest  question  you  have  ever  considered  ?  "  stood 
for  a    moment    in   grave    silence,  and  then,    turning 
towards  the  speaker,  said  :  "  The  greatest  question  I 


ON    THE    THRESHOLD.  31 

have  ever  considered,  sir,  is  my  personal  relation  to 
my  God." 

It  was  this  tremendous  question  which  now  forced 
itself  upon  the  attention  of  William  E.  Dodge. 

Two  events  conspired  to  precipitate  the  crisis. 
Being  engaged  one  day  in  loading  a  wagon  backed 
up  against  the  door,  he  was  suddenly  called  away 
into  the  store.  Another  clerk  replaced  him.  He  had 
hardly  gone,  and  his  substitute  had  just  commenced 
work,  when  a  pulley  dropped  from  above  and  struck 
the  new  comer  senseless  to  the  earth.  A  few  days 
later  he  died,  but  not  without  William's  tender  minis 
try,  bodily  and  spiritual.  This  providential  escape 
made  a  never-to-be-forgotten  impression  upon  him. 
He  felt  that  he  had  been  spared  that  he  might  serve 
God  and  man. 

Soon  after  he  went  to  spend  a  week  in  Hartford. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Nettleton  was  in  the  midst  of  his  evan 
gelical  labors.  The  young  man  heard  him  repeatedly. 
He  was  greatly  impressed.  Before  returning  to  his 
home,  he  called  upon  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hawes,  pastor  of 
the  Center  Church,  whom  he  knew,  and  who  said  as 
they  parted  : 

"What,  William!  Going  home,  and  taking  that 
hard  heart  with  you  ?  " 

That  arrow  hit  the  mark. 

"  I  will  exchange  the  hard  heart  for  a  heart  of 
flesh,"  said  he  to  himself.  The  opportunity  soon 
came.  In  a  night  or  two,  a  prayer  meeting  was  held 
over  which  his  father's  assistant,  Mr.  Erastus  Hyde, 
an  excellent  man,  presided.  Presently,  a  call  was 
made  upon  those  who  would  do  so  to  rise  for  prayers. 
Instantly  William  was  on  his  feet.  His  next  younger 


32  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

sister,  Mary,  at  once  joined  him.  A  dozen  others  did 
the  same.  It  was  the  beginning  of  an  interest  which 
soon  kindled  the  county.  This  was  on  Sunday  even 
ing,  June  8th,  1821 — a  memorable  date.  On  the  first 
Sunday  in  May,  1822,  William,  with  Mary  at  his  side, 
made  a  public  confession  of  faith  ;  and  the  vow  thus 
taken  was  kept  to  the  end.  Thus  the  cross  marked 
on  him  by  his  mother's  finger,  was  remarked  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  He  threw  himself  immediately  and  with 
characteristic  ardor  into  Christian  work — and  this,  too, 
he  never  afterwards  intermitted,  no,  not  for  one  day. 
That  he  was  a  keen  observer  at  this  time  is  evident 
from  the  following  criticism,  which  he  wrote  many 
years  afterwards  to  a  young  friend,  upon  the  manner 
of  some  of  the  preachers  to  whom  he  had  listened  : 

"  In  our  village  there  was  no  place  save  the  school  house  for 
evening  meetings  ;  but  here  we  met  frequently  and  enjoyed 
several  revivals.  At  times  we  would  have,  perhaps,  a  Metho 
dist  preacher  with  but  little  theological  education,  but  good, 
natural  talents  and  a  fine,  full  voice,  who,  without  notes,  would 
deliver  a  plain  Gospel  sermon,  fresh  from  the  heart,  and  secure 
the  attention  of  all  present.  And  I  was  often  ashamed  when 
one  of  our  men  from  New  Haven  or  Andover  would  come 
along  to  preach,  and  I  would  have  to  take  a  bandbox  and  cover 
it  with  a  towel,  and  place  on  the  table  candles,  that  he  might 
read  off  his  sermon — generally  to  a  sleepy  and  inattentive 
audience." 

We  have  been  thus  careful  to  detail  the  religious 
experiences  of  young  Dodge,  because  it  would  be  im 
possible  to  understand  his  after  career  without  a 
comprehension  of  it.  He  was  a  born  merchant.  He 
was  also  a  predestined  Christian.  Thus  were  two 
characters  combined  in  one  personality. 


CHAPTER     L 

OLD    NEW    YORK. 

IN  the  year  1825  the  Dodge  family  returned  to 
New  York — and,  in  so  far  as  William  was  concerned, 
permanently.  Here  he  found  his  arena,  mercantile 
and  religious.  As  he  steps  into  it  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  what  was  it  like  ?  How  did  it  compare  with 
the  city  of  to-day  ?  The  question  is  very  interesting 
and  important.  Let  us  stop  for  a  little  and  get  it 
answered.  And  who  can  give  the  answer  so  well  as 
Mr.  Dodge  himself?  He  was  familiar  with  it  then. 
He  had  the  experience  of  five  or  six  decades  of  con 
tinued  residence  here  when  he  died.  The  whole 
kaleidoscopic  scene,  every  turn  of  the  tube,  he  knew. 
And,  referring  to  the  entire  record,  he  could  say,  as 
a  distinguished  Frenchman  said  of  an  eventful 
chapter  in  French  history  :  "  All  of  which  I  saw,  and 
part  of  which  I  was." 

In  compliance  with  a  very  flattering  invitation  ex 
tended  to  him  in  1880,  by  many  of  the  most  eminent 
citizens,1  he  gave  a  charming  lecture  on  "  Old  New 


1  To  the  Honorable  William  E.  Dodge: 

DEAR  SIR — The  great  changes  in  our  city,  during  your  long  and 
active  business  career,  are  but  little  understood  and  almost  for 
gotten.  With  the  details  of  these  changes  during  the  last  sixty 


34  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

York,"  which  contains  the  very  details  we  wish  to 
know,  told  by  an  eye  witness  and  participant.  He 
said  : 

"  I  am  to  speak  of  the  New  York  of  fifty  to  sixty  years  ago, 
and  of  some  of  the  changes  which  have  marked  the  half  cen 
tury  and  more. 

"  It  was  a  very  different  thing  in  those  days  to  be  a  boy  in  a 


years  you  are  especially  familiar.     Many  incidents   and    reminis 
cences  are  known  to  you  which  would  be  of  great  interest  to  us. 

We  learn  with  pleasure  you  have  been  induced  to  write  out  many 
of  your  recollections  as  a  citizen  and  merchant  during  this  eventful 
period.  We  beg  you  will  name  some  evening  at  an  early  date 
when  we  can  listen  to  a  lecture  from  you  upon  the  changes  through 
which  the  New  York  of  your  boyhood  has  become  the  New  York 
of  to-day.  We  are,  very  truly, 

Your  friends  and  fellow-citizens, 
E.  D.  MORGAN,  JAMES  M.  BROWN, 

JOHN  A.  STEWART,  HOWARD  POTTER, 

H.  C.  POTTER,  ROYAL  PHELPS, 

SAMUEL  D.  BABCOCK,  F.  S.  WINSTON, 

J.  J.  ASTOR,  A.  A.  Low, 

SAMUEL  SLOAN,  H.  B.  CLAFLIN, 

E.  A.  WASHBURN,  PETER  COOPER, 

W.  H.  VANDERBILT,  CHARLES  H.  RUSSELL, 

HENRY  HILTON,  W.  WALTER  PHELPS. 

NEW  YORK,  April  17,  1880. 


NEW  YORK,  April  19,  1880. 
To   Messrs ,  E.    D.    Morgan,  John  A.  Steivart,  J.  J.  Astor,  Henry 

C.  Potter,  Samuel  D.  Babcock,  and  others: 

GENTLEMEN — I  beg  to  acknowledge  your  communication  of  the 
1 7th  inst. ,  and  in  reply  to  your  very  kind  request,  it  will  afford  me 
pleasure  to  meet  you  at  the  Association  Hall,  on  Tuesday  evening, 
the  27th  inst.,  at  8  o'clock,  and  to  deliver  the  lecture  I  have  pie- 
pared  on  the  New  York  of  Fifty  Years  Ago.  I  am,  gentlemen, 

Very  truly  yours, 

WM.  E.  DODGE. 


OLD    NEW    YORK.  35 

store  from  what  it  is  now.  I  fear  that  many  young  men, 
anxious  to  get  started,  would  hesitate  long  before  facing  such 
duties  as  had  then  to  be  performed.  My  father  lived  at  that 
time  at  98  William  Street,  now  the  corner  of  Platt.  William 
Street  was  then  the  fashionable  retail  dry  goods  center ;  at  No. 
90  stood  Peter  Morton's  large  store,  the  fashionable  family 
store  of  that  day. 

"  I  had  to  go  every  morning  to  Vandewater  Street  for  the 
keys,  as  my  employers  must  have  them  in  case  of  fire  in  the  night. 
There  was  much  ambition  among  the  young  men  as  to  who 
should  have  his  store  opened  first,  and  I  used  to  be  up  soon 
after  light,  walk  to  Vandewater  Street  and  then  to  the  store 
very  early.  It  was  to  be  sprinkled  with  water,  which  I  brought 
the  evening  before  from  the  old  pump  at  the  corner  of  Peck 
Slip  and  Pearl  Street,  then  carefully  swept  and  dusted.  Then 
came  sprinkling  the  sidewalk  and  street,  and  sweeping  to  the 
center  a  heap  for  the  dirt  cart  to  remove.  This  done,  one  of 
the  older  clerks  would  come,  and  I  would  be  permitted  to  go 
home  for  breakfast.  In  winter  the  wood  was  to  be  carried  and 
piled  in  the  cellar,  fires  were  to  be  made,  and  lamps  trimmed. 
I  mention  these  particulars  to  show  that  junior  clerks  in  those 
days  did  the  work  now  done  by  the  porters.  There  were  com 
paratively  very  few  carts  used  by  the  dry  goods  dealers,  most 
of  the  business  being  done  by  porters,  with  hand  carts  and 
large  wheelbarrows,  who  stood  at  the  different  corners  ready  to 
take  or  go  for  a  load.  Each  had  a  heavy  leather  strap  over  the 
shoulders,  and  a  brass  plate  on  the  breast  with  his  license 
number.  Their  charges  for  any  distance  below  or  above 
Chambers  Street  were  twelve  and  one-half  cents  and  eighteen 
and  three-quarters  cents  respectively.  There  were  very  few 
carts,  and  those  of  the  old-fashioned  two-wheel  kind  ;  such 
heavy  two  horse  trucks  and  large  express  wagons  and  other 
wagons  as  now  fill  our  business  portion  of  the  city,  were  un 
known  in  those  days. 

"  The  dry  goods  auction  stores  were  mostly  on  the  corners, 
and  on  the  blocks  from  Wall  to  Pine  streets.  When  our 
employer  would  purchase  a  lot  of  goods  at  auction,  it  was  our 


36  WIT.LIAM    E.    DODGE. 

business  to  go  and  compare  them  with  the  bill,  and  if  two  of 
us  could  carry  them  home,  we  did  so,  as  it  would  save  the 
shilling  porterage.     I   remember  while  in  this  store  I  carried 
bundles  of   goods  up  Broadway  to  Greenwich  Village,  near 
what  are  now  Seventh  and  Eighth  Avenues,  and  Fourth  to 
Tenth  streets,  crossing  the  old  stone  bridge  at  Canal  Street. 
This  had  long  square  timbers  on  either  side  in  place  of  railing, 
to  prevent  a  fall  into  the   sluggish  stream— some  fifteen  feet 
below_which  came  from  the  low  lands  where  Centre  Street 
and  the  Tombs  now  are.     It  was  called  the  Colic  (though  its 
true  name  was  Collect,  as  it  took  the  drainage  of  a  large  d 
trict),  and  was  the  great  skating  place  in  the  winter.     Turning 
in  at  the  left  of  the  bridge  I  took  a  path  through  the  meadows, 
often  crossing  on  two  timbers  laid  over  the  ditches  where  the 
tide   ebbed  and  flowed  from  the  East  River.     At  that   time 
there  was  no  system  of  sewerage,  but  the  water  which  fell  was 
carried  off  by  the  gutters  and  by  surface  draining. 

"  I  remember  well  the  old  Fly  Market,  which  commenced  at 
Pearl  Street  where  Maiden  Lane  crosses.     There  was  a  very 
large  arched  drain,  over  which  the  market  was  built,  extending 
from  Pearl  Street  to  the  dock.     It  was  so  high  that  in  passing 
along  Pearl  Street  on  the  south  sidewalk,  one  had  to  ascend 
quite  an  elevation  to  get  over  the  arch  of  the  sewer.     Maiden 
Lane  then  was  as  narrow  at  Pearl  Street  as  Liberty  is  betwee 
William    and   its   present   junction  with    Maiden   Lane- 
about  fifteen  feet  wide.     In  the  winter,  when  the  streets  were 
running  with  the  wash  of  melting  snow  and  ice,  the  mouth  of 
the  sewer  at  Pearl  Street  would  often  clog  up,  and  then  the 
water  would  set  back  as  far  as  Gold  Street ;  the  sidewalk  being 
constructed  some  two  feet  above  the  roadway,  to  provide 
the   great  flow   of    water   that   came   down   from   Broadway, 
Nassau,  William,  and  Liberty  streets.     The  boys  used  to  get 
old  boots,  and,  placing  them  on  a  pole,  would  make  in    the 
slush  of  snow  and  ice  foot  prints  all  across  Pearl  Street,  as  if 
persons  had  been  passing,  and  then  would  run  around  the 
corners  to  see  some  poor  stranger  step  into  the  trap  and  : 
above  his  knees  in  water  and  slush. 


OLD    NEW    YORK.  37 

"  They  tell  a  story  of  a  young  lady  who  was  coming  down 
Pearl  Street,  just  as  a  heavy  rain  had  filled  the  street  back  to 
Gold,  and  of  a  polite  young  sailor  who  saw  her  stand  wonder 
ing  how  she  could  get  over.  He  took  her  at  once  without 
asking,  and,  himself  wading  across,  knee  deep,  placed  her  on 
the  other  side  all  safe.  She  at  once  demanded  what  the  im 
pudent  fellow  meant,  when  he  replied,  '  Hope  no  harm  has 
been  done  ! '  and,  catching  her  up  again,  placed  her  back  on 
the  other  side. 

"  At  this  time  the  wholesale  dry  goods  trade  was  confined 
almost  entirely  to  Pearl  Street,  from  Coenties  Slip  to  Peck  Slip, 
though  there  were  a  few  firms  further  up,  and  any  party  intend 
ing  to  commence  that  business  must  first  be  sure  that  he  could 
obtain  a  store  in  Pearl  Street.  We  now  talk  of  what  Wall 
Street  is  doing  ;  then,  if  we  would  speak  of  the  dry  goods  trade, 
we  would  say  '  things  are  active  '  (or  '  dull ' )  '  in  Pearl  Street.' 

"  The  retail  trade  was  mostly  in  William  Street  and  Maiden 
Lane,  except  three  fashionable  houses  that  were  the  Stewarts  of 
that  day.  These  were  all  in  Broadway.  Vandevoort,  near  Lib 
erty  Street ;  '  the  Heights,'  near  Dey  Street,  and  Jotham  Smith, 
who  occupied  the  site  of  the  Astor  House.  Stewart  did  not 
commence  until  1824.  The  cheap  retail  dry  goods  stores  were 
in  upper  Pearl  and  Chatham  streets ;  the  wholesale  groceries 
were  in  Broad,  Water  and  Front  streets.  At  this  time  the 
trade  was  mostly  divided  by  sections,  some  selling  almost 
entirely  to  the  South,  others  to  the  North  and  West,  and  others 
doing  what  was  called  an  Eastern  and  Long  Island  trade.  The 
capital  and  business  of  one  who  was  then  termed  a  jobber  were 
very  different  from  what  are  now  suggested  by  that  term.  A 
firm  with  $15,000  to  $20,000  capital  commanded  good  credit, 
and  its  annual  sales  seldom  exceeded  a  few  hundred  thousand. 
I  doubt  if  there  were  half  a  dozen  persons  who  sold  over  a  million 
each.  Now  we  have  many  who  sell  that  amount  every  month, 
and  some  of  them  over  a  million  a  week. 

"  The  styles  of  goods  have  also  changed  very  much.  Then 
nearly  all  dry  goods  were  imported  ;  our  calicoes  or  prints  came 
in  square  hair  trunks,  containing  fifty  pieces  each  ;  very  few 


38  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

goods  came  in  boxes — they  were  either  in  trunks  or  in  bales. 
We  had  a  few  domestic  cottons,  but  they  were  all  woven  by 
hand.  Power-looms  were  not  introduced  till  a  few  years  later. 
Our  common  cottons  were  all  from  India,  and  called  India 
'  hum-hums  ;  '  they  had  very  strange  names,  such  as  '  Bafturs,' 
4  Gurros,'  etc.  Most  of  them  were  thin,  sleazy  goods,  filled  with 
a  kind  of  starch  to  make  them  look  heavy.  At  present,  nearly 
all  cotton  goods  sold  are  of  American  manufacture. 

"  Our  clothes  and  cassimeres  were  all  imported.  Large 
quantities  of  silks  from  France  and  Italy,  and  beautiful  crapes 
and  satins,  for  ladies'  wear,  were  brought  from  India  and 
China.  Business  was  periodical ;  we  had  our  spring  and  fall 
trade.  You  will  remember  there  were  but  few  steamboats,  and 
no  railroads,  and  it  was  quite  an  event  for  the  country  mer 
chants  to  visit  the  city.  They  generally  came  twice  a  year — 
spring  and  fall ;  those  from  the  North  and  East  by  the  Sound 
or  North  River,  in  sloops  or  schooners,  often  a  week  on  their 
passage  ;  those  from  the  South  and  West  by  stage-coaches.  It 
is  very  difficult  to  realize  what  it  was  to  come  from  Ohio,  Indi 
ana,  Kentucky,  Illinois,  and  Missouri,  when  most  of  the  long 
journey  was  by  stage-riding  night  and  day  ;  and  even  from  our 
Southern  States  it  was  a  tedious  trip  to  some  point  on  the  coast, 
where  the  vessel  might  make  the  long  journey  less  trying. 
There  were  lines  of  schooners  and  ships  running  between  Nor 
folk,  Richmond,  Charleston,  Savannah,  New  Orleans  and  Mo 
bile,  but  these  trips  were  often  very  long  and  the  accommoda 
tions  poor. 

"  Over  the  stores  in  Pearl  Street  were  a  large  number  of 
boarding-houses  expressly  for  country  merchants  ;  here  they 
would  remain  a  week  or  ten  days,  picking  up  a  variety  of  goods, 
for  most  of  them  kept  what  were  then  called  country  stores. 
They  had  to  purchase  dry-goods,  groceries,  hardware,  medi 
cines,  crockery,  etc.,  etc.  It  was  a  great  object  with  the  job 
bers  to  have  one  of  their  salesmen  board  at  a  large  house  for 
country  merchants,  so  that  they  could  induce  them  to  come  to 
their  stores  to  trade.  Most  of  the  goods  were  shipped  by 
sloops,  bound  up  the  North  River  or  the  Sound  ;  those  for  the 


OLD    NEW    YORK.  39 

South,  on  schooners  and  brigs  to  ports  whence  they  were  taken 
into  the  interior.  There  were  very  few  hotels,  the  principal 
ones  being  the  City  Hotel,  which  occupied  the  block  in  Broad 
way  near  Trinity  Church  ;  the  Pearl  Street  House,  between  Old 
and  Coenties  Slips,  and  Bunker's,  near  the  Bowling  Green. 
These  periodical  seasons  were  active  times,  the  bulk  of  the  busi 
ness  being  done  in  three  months  of  spring  and  three  months  of 
fall.  The  winter  and  summer  were  comparatively  idle.  There 
was  a  limited  district  from  which  to  draw  customers,  and  as 
soon  as  the  North  River  and  the  rivers  and  harbors  of  the  Sound 
were  closed  by  ice,  Pearl  Street  was  almost  as  quiet  as  Sunday. 

"  New  York  was  then  a  comparatively  small  city,  with  a 
population  of  less  than  1 20,0x30.  One-fourth  the  present  size 
of  Chicago,  it  had  extended  very  little  above  Canal  Street. 
Most  of  the  dwellings  were  below  Chambers,  on  the  North  River, 
but  on  the  East  River  there  were  many  up  as  far  as  Market  and 
Rutgers  streets.  The  most  of  the  merchants  and  families. of 
wealth  lived  in  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  in  Greenwich  below 
Chambers,  and  on  the  cross  streets  west  of  Broadway  from  the 
Park  to  the  Battery.  Many  merchants  in  Pearl  Street  lived  over 
their  stores,  and  John,  and  Fulton,  Beekman,  Gold  and  Cliff, 
were  filled  with  private  residences.  The  most  fashionable  resi 
dences,  perhaps,  were  around  the  Battery  and  up  Broadway  and 
Greenwich  to  Courtlandt.  It  is  interesting  and  instructive  to 
think  of  the  noble  merchants  who  occupied  those  dwellings,  all 
of  whom  have  passed  away — such  men  as  Robert  Lenox, 
Stephen  Whitney,  James  G.  King,  J.  Phillips  Phoenix,  James 
Suydam,  Cadwalader  D.  Colden,  James  De  Peyster,  Pierre 
Irving,  Gideon  Lee,  the  Howlands,  Aspinwalls,  and  many  others 
who  have  honored  the  name  of  New  York  merchants. 

"  The  churches  were  then  all  down  town — the  old  '  Wall 
Street,'  'Garden  Street,'  (now  Exchange  Place),  '  Middle  '  and 
'  North  Dutch,'  '  Trinity,'  and  '  St.  Paul's,'  '  Grace,'  '  Cedar 
Street,'  the  '  Old  Brick,'  (where  now  stands  the  Times  Building), 
'  Liberty,'  (which  Thorburn  so  long  occupied  as  a  seed  store), 
and  '  Murray  '  and  '  Rutgers,' — then  far  up  town.  I  remember 
when  young  Philip  Melancthon  Whelpley  was  pastor  of  the  Wall 


40  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

Street  Church,  of  which  my  father  was  then  an  elder.  He  was 
settled  when  only  about  twenty-one,  was  a  most  eloquent  man, 
but  suffered  from  dyspepsia ;  he  lived  in  Greenwich  Street,  back 
of  Trinity  Church.  Some  adventurous  man  had  put  up  four 
small  houses  on  White  Street,  then  just  opened,  near  Broadway, 
and  as  Mr.  Whelpley  felt  the  need  of  exercise,  and  the  rent  was 
very  low,  he  ventured  to  hire  one  of  these,  but  the  excitement 
in  the  congregation  at  the  idea  of  their  pastor  living  out  of  the 
city  was  so  great  that  it  came  nigh  losing  him  his  place.  Speak 
ing  of  churches,  I  often  have  thought  there  was  more  of  real 
worship  when,  in  place  of  our  present  quartette,  there  was  in 
most  of  the  churches  a  precentor  standing  under  the  pulpit,  to 
give  the  key  with  his  pitch-pipe,  and  all  the  congregation 
united  in  singing.  The  first  Presbyterian  Church  built  north  of 
Canal  Street  was  the  '  Broome  Street,'  standing  between  Elm 
and  Centre.  My  father-in-law,  Mr.  Phelps,  who  was  on  the 
Committee  of  Presbytery  appointed  to  select  a  location,  told  me 
that  at  that  time  the  entire  triangle  from  Broome  to  Spring  was 
for  sale,  and  he  advised  the  purchase  of  the  whole,  as  the  price 
was  very  low,  and  he  felt  that  the  building  of  the  church  would 
add  to  the  value,  so  that  the  sale  of  the  other  lots  would  pay  the 
cost  of  the  church.  But  the  rest  of  the  committee  felt  it  was  so 
far  up  town  that  there  would  be  no  chance  of  selling. 

"  When  the  Bible  House  was  to  be  removed  from  Nassau 
street,  the  committee,  all  but  one,  decided  to  go  no  further  than 
Grand  Street ;  the  present  site,  at  Ninth  and  Tenth  streets, 
owned  by  Mr.  Peter  Stuyvesant,  was  then  fenced  in  and  rented 
as  a  pasture  or  for  vegetables.  Mr.  Stuyvesant  was  at  that 
time  paying  very  heavy  assessments  for  opening  streets  on  his 
property,  and,  being  himself  interested  in  the  Bible  Society, 
offered  the  entire  block  for  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  cash, 
which  by  one  of  the  committee,  the  late  Anson  G.  Phelps,  was 
considered  a  great  bargain.  Mr.  Phelps  could  not  for  a  long 
time  induce  his  associates  to  agree  with  him,  since  they  felt  it 
was  so  far  up  town  that  it  would  be  out  of  the  way ;  but  when 
informed  that  he  should  purchase  it  himself,  if  they  did  not, 
they  yielded,  and  we  can  all  see  the  wisdom  of  the  choice.  The 


OLD    NEW    YORK.  41 

rents  of  the  portion  not  required  for  their  work  now  pay  all 
expenses,  salaries,  etc.,  so  that  every  dollar  given  to  the  Bible 
Society,  goes  for  furnishing  the  Bible,  and  for  nothing  else. 

"  You  all  have  noticed  that  the  City  Hall  is  constructed  on 
three  sides  of  white  marble,  and  on  Chambers  Street  of  brown 
stone.  Some  thirty  years  ago  there  resided  near  me  an  aged 
gentleman  of  the  old  school,  Mr.  McComb,  who  was  the  archi 
tect  of  the  City  Hall,  and  who  told  me  that  in  making  the  esti 
mate  of  cost  of  the  building  they  found  that  the  difference 
between  the  marble  and  the  stone  for  the  rear  would  be  fifteen 
thousand  dollars.  As  it  was  so  far  up  town  that  but  few  would 
see  the  back  part  of  the  Hall,  they  decided  to  use  the  brown 
stone.  In  those  days  the  city  fathers  were  so  far  from  the 
fashion  of  these  days,  that  they  were  calculating  how  they 
might  economize  in  city  expenditures. 

"  Think  of  New  York  without  gas  !  At  that  time  the  street 
lamps  were  few  and  far  between,  often  filled  with  poor  oil  and 
badly  trimmed.  They  looked  on  a  dark  night  like  so  many 
lightning-bugs,  and  in  winter  would  often  go  entirely  out  before 
morning.  In  1825  the  first  gas-lights  were  introduced  by  the 
New  York  Gas  Company,  which  had  contracted  to  light  below 
Canal  Street. 

"  In  1834,  the  Manhattan  Company  obtained  the  contract  to 
light  above  Canal  Street ;  we  can  now  hardly  conceive  how  our 
citizens  could  get  on  without  gas,  and  yet  it  was  much  safer 
walking  the  streets  then  than  now.  Crime  was  not  so  rife,  and 
a  murder  was  a  rare  occurrence.  The  first  murder  I  remember 
was  committed  by  a  tailor  of  the  name  of  Johnson,  living  in 
William  Street,  near  Beaver ;  he  killed  his  wife,  and  the  excite 
ment  of  his  arrest,  trial  and  hanging — which  took  place  out  of 
the  city  in  a  vacant  lot  east  of  Broadway,  now  a  portion  of 
White  Street — lasted  for  months.  We  seldom  open  our  morn 
ing  paper  now  without  the  record  of  a  murder  in  some  one  of 
the  drinking  saloons. 

"  There  were  no  police  in  those  days,  but  there  were  a  few 
watchmen,  who  came  on  soon  after  dark  and  patrolled  the 
streets  till  near  daylight.  Their  rounds  were  so  arranged  that 


42  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

they  made  one  each  hour,  and  as  the  clocks  struck  they  pounded 
with  their  clubs  three  times  on  the  curb,  calling  out,  for  ex 
ample,  '  Twelve  o'clock,  and  all  is  well,'  in  a  very  peculiar  voice. 
They  wore  leathern  caps,  such  as  the  firemen  now  use. 

"  Our  streets  were  kept  cleaner  than  now,  since  every  one 
was  responsible  for  a  space  in  front  of  his  building  extending 
to  the  middle  of  the  street,  the  public  dirt-carts  passing  on  reg 
ular  days  and  carting  away  the  dirt.  The  garbage-men,  with 
large  carts,  came  around  to  collect  from  the  tub  or  half-bafrel 
placed  in  the  area.  I  remember  a  very  eccentric  old  man,  who 
was  full  of  fun,  and  in  the  season  would  dress  himself  up  with 
the  husks  and  tassels  of  the  corn,  and  with  a  fancy  paper  hat, 
and  who  rang  his  bell,  keeping  time  to  a  peculiar  song,  greatly 
to  the  amusement  of  the  boys.  It  was  said  that  on  one  occa 
sion,  a  man  passing  cried  out,  '  Why,  old  man,  you  take  all  sorts 
of  trash  in  your  cart.'  '  Oh,  yes,'  said  he,  'jump  in  ;  jump  in.' 
There  were  then  a  special  kind  of  street  cleaners,  in  the  vast 
number  of  swine,  owned  by  the  poorer  classes  that  crowded 
some  portions  of  the  city,  making  travel  dangerous.  It  was  by 
many  claimed  that  they  ate  up  the  garbage  thrown  into  the 
streets  in  spite  of  the  law,  and  thus  were  to  be  tolerated. 

"  The  Sabbaths  were  for  the  most  part  very  quiet,  and  but 
few  vehicles  were  seen  in  the  city.  There  were  no  public  cries, 
except  those  of  the  milkmen,  who  were  mostly  farmers  from 
Long  Island,  and  carried  their  milk  in  large  tin  cans  suspended 
by  a  yoke  from  their  shoulders.  They  generally  served  real 
milk,  but  it  was  sometimes  said  that  they  stopped  to  wash  their 
cans  at  the  corner  pumps.  Although  the  Sabbath  was  almost 
free  from  disturbances  from  carriages,  still,  for  fear  that  some 
one  might  be  passing  during  worship,  the  churches  had  chains 
drawn  across  the  streets  on  either  side,  which  were  put  up  as 
soon  as  service  commenced,  and  taken  down  at  its  close.  What 
would  our  riding,  sporting,  Sabbath-breaking  citizens  say  to 
such  obstructions,  if  put  up  on  Fifth  or  Madison  Avenues  now  ? 

"  The  Battery  was  the  great  point  of  attraction  as  a  cool  and 

delightful  promenade,  and  in  the  warm  season  was  crowded 

"every  afternoon  and  evening;   the  grass  was  kept  clean  and 


OLD    NEW    YORK.  43 

green,  and  the  walks  in  perfect  order;  there  was  a  building 
near  the  south  end,  of  octagonal  form,  called  the  '  Flag-staff/ 
having  an  observatory  in  the  top,  and  above  it  always  waved  the 
'  national  flag.'  In  the  summer  and  early  fall  a  band  of  music  in 
the  evening  enlivened  the  scene,  and  the  grounds  were  crowded 
with  the  elitt  of  the  city  ;  it  was  as  polite  and  marked  a  compli 
ment  for  a  young  lady  to  be  invited  by  a  gentleman  to  take  a  walk 
on  the  Battery,  as  now  to  be  invited  to  a  drive  in  the  Park  ;  and  on 
Saturdays  the  boys  were  allowed  to  play  ball,  etc.,  on  the  grass. 
Castle  Garden  was  then  a  fort  with  its  garrison ;  and  the  guard 
were  always  seen  walking  their  rounds,  on  the  parapet,  and 
before  the  gate  leading  from  the  Battery,  across  the  draw 
bridge,  to  the  fort. 

"  The  city  was  so  compact  that  there  were  very  few  private 
carriages.  I  venture  to  say  that  there  were  not  more  than 
twenty-five  families  that  kept  a  two-horse  carriage.  In  fact, 
there  was  very  little  use  for  one  ;  there  were  no  pleasant  drives 
out  of  the  city ;  the  old  Bloomingdale  Road  was  mostly  used, 
but  in  summer  it  was  very  dusty,  and  there  were  no  attractions. 
The  old  Boston  Road,  where  are  now  the  Bowery  and  Third 
Avenue,  and  the  Albany  Road,  which  is  now  upper  Broadway, 
were  the  only  roads  for  pleasure  travel,  and  were  used  by  gentle 
men  who  lived  in  the  summer  at  their  country  houses.  These 
were  along  the  East  River,  from  what  is  now  Eighth  Street,  up 
to  a  point  opposite  Hell  Gate,  on  the  North  River,  and  along 
what  were  then  Bloomingdale  and  Greenwich,  say  from  what  is 
now  Fourth  Street  up  to  Eightieth  Street. 

"  The  contrasts  between  the  City  Post-office  of  my  early  days 
and  the  splendid  building  of  to-day,  and  the  amount  of  business 
then  and  now,  give  a  vivid  idea  of  the  progress  of  the  city  and 
country.  The  office  then  was  in  the  dwelling  of  the  Postmaster, 
General  Theodorus  Bailey,  who,  having  been  appointed  in  1804, 
converted  his  lower  floor  into  the  Post-office,  living  above  with 
his  family.  It  was  situated  at  the  corner  of  William  and  Gar 
den  Streets,  now  Exchange  Place ;  the  two  parlors  were  con 
verted  into  the  office ;  on  Garden  Street  there  was  a  window 
for  city  delivery,  and  in  William  Street  a  vestibule  of  about 


44  WILLIAM    E.     DODGE. 

eight  by  sixteen  feet  with  one  hundred  and  forty-four  small 
boxes  for  letters.  Not  over  half  a  dozen  clerks  were  employed. 
This  was  still  its  position  when  I  went  into  a  store,  and  I  well 
remember  the  fun  we  boys  had  while  waiting  for  the  office  to 
open,  which  was  not  till  about  eight  or  nine  o'clock  A.  M.  We 
used  to  employ  the  time  by  crowding  up  the  line,  so  that  the 
lucky  boy  who  first  had  got  opposite  the  one  small  place  for 
delivery  could  be  pushed  aside  to  make  room  for  some  other, 
who  would  soon  in  turn  have  to  give  way.  Postage  then  was 
so  high  that  the  number  of  letters  sent  by  mail  was  compara 
tively  small :  twelve  and  one-half  cents  to  Philadelphia,  eighteen 
and  three-quarter  cents  to  Boston,  and  twenty-five  cents  to 
New  Orleans.  It  was  the  habit  to  send  as  far  as  possible  by 
private  hands,  and  when  it  became  known  that  a  friend  was 
going  by  stage  or  sloop,  he  was  sure  to  be  the  carrier  of  many 
letters — the  exchanges  between  the  interior  and  the  banks  being 
mostly  effected  in  this  way. 

"When  Abraham  Wakeman,  in  1862,  was  Postmaster,  there 
was  living,  at  an  advanced  age,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Dodd ; 
this  person,  when  General  Bailey  was  Postmaster,  made  a  con 
tract  with  him  to  take  the  mails  from  the  New  York  office  to 
the  Western  and  Southern  stages  that  started  and  arrived  at 
Hoboken  and  Jersey  City.  He  stated  that  for  three  years  he 
carried  the  mail-bags  on  his  back,  and  ferried  them  in  his  own 
little  boat  across  the  river ;  but  then  they  grew  heavy,  and  for 
some  years  afterward  he  took  them  in  a  small  wheel-barrow  to 
his  boat.  Now,  contrast  the  Post-office  and  mails  of  those 
days  with  the  present  office  and  business. 

"  Wood  was  then  the  only  fuel,  though  Liverpool  coal  was 
used  in  offices  and  parlors.  Those  who  could  afford  it  pur 
chased  their  sloop-load  of  hickory  and  oak  in  the  fall,  and  had 
it  sawed  and  piled  in  the  cellar  for  winter.  Hundreds  of  sloops 
from  North  River  towns,  and  from  Connecticut  and  Long 
Island,  filled  the  slips  on  the  North  and  East  Rivers,  and  at 
many  of  the  street  corners  carmen  stood  with  loads  for  sale. 

"  I  remember  a  story  of  this  wood-burning.  It  was  the 
habit  of  many  families  to  have  the  servant-man  saw  and  pile 


OLD    NEW    YORK. 


45 


up  the  wood,  and  as  a  perquisite  to  give  him  the  proceeds  of 
the  sale  of  the  ashes,  which  was  then  quite  an  item.  Mr.  Stephen 
B.  Munn,  living  on  Pearl  Street,  near  Maiden  Lane,  had  a 
colored  waiter  to  whom  he  had  promised  the  ashes  from  a  fine 
cargo  of  hickory,  on  condition  that  he  would  saw  it  up  and 
have  it  nicely  piled  in  the  cellar.  This  done,  Mr.  Munn  was 
aroused  one  night  by  a  fearful  roar  in  the  chimney,  and,  rushing 
down  to  the  kitchen,  found  the  old  negro  asleep  before  a  tre 
mendous  fire  with  the  wood  piled  far  up  the  chimney-place. 
When  asked  what  it  meant,  the  old  man  replied,  '  Makee  ashes, 
master !  makee  ashes.'  The  poor  old  man,  like  many  others, 
was  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  his  advantages  without  regard 
to  his  employer's.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  anthracite 
fields  of  the  Lehigh  were  discovered,  and  I  shall  not  forget  the 
time  when  my  employers  sent  up  a  barrel  of  hard  coal  for  trial. 
We  made  up  a  fire  in  the  ordinary  open  grate  with  kindlings, 
and  it  did  not  blaze ;  we  poked  it,  but  the  more  we  poked  the 
more  it  would  not  burn,  until  the  Quaker's  patience  was  ex 
hausted,  and  he  condemned  the  stone-coal  as  well  named  but 
quite  unfit  for  use. 

"  There  were  no  such  things  as  stoves  or  furnaces  for  warm 
ing  a  house.  It  makes  one  almost  shiver  now  to  remember  the 
cold  halls  and  bedrooms  of  those  days,  or  the  attempt  to  warm 
a  large  store  in  a  cold  winter  by  a  coal  or  wood  fire  at  the 
extreme  end,  which  left  the  front  as  cold  as  a  barn.  How  my 
feet  and  fingers  have  ached  as  I  have  stood  at  the  desk  of  a 
bitter  morning !  What  a  change  that  same  '  stone-coal '  has 
made  in  the  comfort  of  our  stores  and  dwellings  !  That  little 
sample  sent  from  Pennsylvania  was  the  germ  of  a  business  that 
now  employs  two  hundred  millions  of  capital  and  twenty  thou 
sand  men ;  that  has  a  product  of  some  twenty-five  millions  of 
tons  per  annum,  and  has  given  an  entirely  new  position  to  our 
manufactures,  which  before  were  dependent  on  water-power. 
Without  this  coal  factories  could  never  have  been  established 
at  important  centers  on  our  railroads  and  in  the  midst  of  our 
principal  cities,  nor  have  risen  to  such  importance  ;  without  it 
our  iron  interest  never  could  have  attained  such  vast  proper- 


46  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

tions,  nor  could  our  railroads  and  steamships  transport  pas 
sengers  and  freight  at  such  cheap  rates,  and  our  houses  and 
other  buildings  be  made  so  comfortable. 

"  Brooklyn  was  then  an  inconsiderable  village,  containing  in 
1823  but  seven  thousand  inhabitants.  The  small  row-boats, 
which  till  1811  had  been  the  only  ferry  across  the  river,  were 
interfered  with  by  the  introduction  of  the  first  ferry-boats,  but 
until  1822  the  latter  consisted  of  one  small  steamer  and  one 
horse-boat.  It  was  not  till  1824  that  steam  ferry-boats  of  any 
considerable  size  were  introduced,  and  the  accommodations  for 
Brooklyn  continued  on  a  small  and  inconvenient  scale  till  1836, 
when  public  meetings  were  held,  demanding  greater  facilities,  and 
from  that  time  larger  and  better  boats  were  used  in  the  transit. 
There  was  only  one  ferry  across  the  East  River,  but  at  the  foot 
of  Wall  Street,  Coenties  Slip,  and  Whitehall,  there  were  num 
bers  of  small  row-boats,  bearing  a  variety  of  fancy  names,  and 
handsomely  painted,  and,  when  a  person  wanted  to  go  over,  a 
crowd  of  oarsmen  would  gather,  each  offering  him  the  best 
boat.  The  fare  across  was  ten  cents.  The  Jersey  City  ferriage 
before  1812  was  provided  simply  by  row-boats,  and  by  scows 
which  floated  horses  and  carriages  across  in  pleasant  weather. 
In  1812  and  1813,  Fulton  constructed  for  the  associate  ferries 
two  boats  propelled  by  steam,  the  beginning  of  those  extensive 
accommodations  by  which  many  thousands  now  cross  in  a  day. 
The  first  boat  with  steam  was  put  on  the  Hoboken  Ferry  in 
1812 ;  it  was  so  small  that  often  in  a  strong  tide  it  had  to  stop 
in  the  river  to  get  up  steam  enough  to  make  the  transit.  In 
1825  a  new  lease  was  given  to  F.  B.  Ogden,  Cadwalader  D. 
Golden  and  Samuel  Swartout,  who  were  required  to  put  on  two 
larger  boats  ;  before  this  the  farmers  from  New  Jersey  had 
great  difficulty  in  bringing  their  produce  to  the  New  York 
market,  and  many  refused  to  come  across  the  meadows,  the 
corduroy  road  being  so  bad  that  they  would  go  no  farther  than 
Newark.  Many  of  our  marketmen  went  regularly  to  that  city 
as  buyers ;  and  there  was  quite  an  opposition  in  Newark  to  the 
granting  of  the  ferry  rights,  as  they  saw  it  would  remove  the 
sale  of  farm-truck  to  New  York.  The  new  lease  was  for  two 


OLD    NEW    YORK.  47 

good  boats ;  the  annual  rent  was  five  hundred  and  ninety-five 
dollars,  with  the  privilege  of  another  ferry  at  the  foot  of  Spring 
Street — the  rent  for  the  latter  to  be,  the  first  four  years,  one 
cent  a  year ;  for  the  next  five  years,  fifty  dollars ;  and  for  still 
another  five,  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 
Compare  these  small  beginnings  with  the  value  of  these  ferries 
at  the  present  time,  when  more  persons  and  vehicles  cross  the 
Fulton  and  Jersey  ferries  in  an  hour,  at  morning  or  at  evening, 
than  crossed  in  a  whole  month  in  the  year  1820. 

"  The  monopoly  granted  to  Fulton  and  Livingston  was  set 
aside  about  1820  by  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  use  of  steam 
was  thrown  open  to  public  competition.  Then  commenced  a 
new  era :  boats  were  soon  started  on  the  Sound,  the  first  of 
these  being  the '  Fulton,'  Captain  Bunker,  and  the '  Connecticut,' 
Captain  Comstock.  I  remember  a  trip  to  New  London,  which  I 
made  soon  after  they  were  started.  The  two  formed  a  daily 
line ;  the  '  Fulton  '  left  New  York  early  in  the  morning,  arriving 
in  New  Haven  about  four  o'clock ;  then  all  the  passengers  and 
freight  were  put  aboard  the  '  Connecticut '  for  New  London,  the 
'  Fulton '  returning  in  the  evening  to  New  York.  This  gave 
time  for  the  boilers  to  cool  off  and  the  machinery  to  rest,  as  it 
was  not  thought  safe  to  run  one  boat  so  far  as  New  London 
without  stopping.  Compare  these  with  the  thousands  of  steam 
boats  now  running  along  our  coasts,  on  all  navigable  rivers,  and 
on  our  lakes.  The  propeller,  more  lately  introduced,  has  added 
vastly  to  the  cheapening  of  transportation.  A  new  life  was 
infused,  and  the  people  began  to  demand  new  openings  for 
trade.  The  Erie  Canal,  which,  after  much  opposition,  had  been 
commenced  in  1817,  was  gaining  favor  ;  the  period  for  its  open 
ing  was  looked  for  with  great  interest,  and  its  final  completion 
was  celebrated  by  a  grand  public  demonstration. 

"  A  large  number  of  boats  had  been  loaded  in  Buffalo,  and 
left  there  on  the  25th  of  October,  1825.  On  the  4th  of 
November  a  fleet  of  steamers,  all  gaily  dressed  and  filled  with 
citizens,  met  them  on  their  arrival.  They  were  towed  from 
Albany  to  this  city  by  the  new  steamer, '  Chancellor  Livingston,' 
having  on  board  DeWitt  Clinton,  and  many  distinguished  citi- 


48  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

zens  from  Albany,  Troy  and  the  West.  It  was  a  proud  day  for 
New  York  ;  all  the  ships  were  trimmed  with  flags ;  the  harbor 
was  filled  with  large  and  small  steam-boats,  and  hundreds  of 
small  sailing  craft.  I  was,  fortunately,  on  the  steamer  which 
carried  those  who  were  to  take  part  in  the  exercises  down  the 
lower  bay.  DeWitt  Clinton,  at  the  close  of  an  address,  poured 
a  keg  of  water  from  Lake  Erie  into  the  Atlantic.  Dr.  Samuel 
Mitchell  had  secured  bottles  of  water  from  the  several  lakes 
and  from  the  Mediterranean,  and,  after  a  characteristic  speech, 
he  mingled  them  all  with  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  to  signify 
that  by  this  great  public  improvement  the  products  of  the  West 
were  to  be  carried  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  that  their 
products,  returned  by  the  same  channel,  would  be  scattered 
throughout  our  own  land.  Such  was  the  commencement  of 
that  spirit  of  public  improvements  which  was  destined  to 
change  the  whole  face  of  trade  and  commerce. 

"  The  first  regular  line  of  packet  ships,  known  as  the  '  Black 
Ball  Line,' was  started  in  1817,  to  sail  on  the  first  of  each 
month.  It  was  soon  followed  by  others,  which  in  a  few  years 
made  a  regular  weekly  line,  and  gave  a  new  impetus  to  our 
commerce,  so  that  our  trade  with  England  rapidly  increased. 

"  Let  me  here  revert  again  to  the  very  limited  facilities  for 
travel  and  trade  which  existed  previous  to  1825.  The  sloops 
and  steamers  on  our  lakes,  rivers,  and  sound,  the  small  brigs 
and  ships  which  ran  to  our  Southern  points,  with  the  stage 
coach  to  all  parts  of  the  interior,  were  the  extent  of  the 
facilities,  and  in  the  winter  we  were  almost  entirely  shut 
in.  Think  of  one  stage  a  day,  which  started  from  No.  i  Cort- 
landt  Street  for  Albany,  and  one  for  Boston  !  Who,  that  ever 
made  that  trip  in  winter  time,  will  forget  the  old  agent, 
Thomas  Whitfield,  at  No.  i  Cortlandt  Street  ?  He  would  book 
you  three  days  in  advance  for  a  seat,  and  if  perchance  there 
were  applications  for  more  than  the  coach  would  hold,  and  yet 
not  enough  to  warrant  an  extra,  one  must  wait  another  day  for 
a  seat.  Then  what  a  time  in  packing  on  the  baggage  and  seat 
ing  the  passengers  !  Why,  it  was  as  exciting  as  the  sailing  of 
a  steamer  with  its  one  hundred  and  fifty  cabin  passengers,  and 


OLD    NEW    YORK.  49 

Its  crowd  for  the  steerage.  Think  now  of  the  number  of  large 
steamers,  five  or  six  frequently  sailing  in  a  day,  and  each  often 
taking  at  a  single  trip  many  more  passengers  than  fifty  years 
ago  sailed  in  a  twelvemonth — steamers  of  three  thousand  to 
five  thousand  tons,  as  compared  with  packets  of  five  hundred 
to  six  hundred  tons !  To  cross  the  Atlantic  then  by  steam 
would  have  seemed  impossible ;  now,  the  passage  is  but  a 
pleasure-trip,  and  hundreds  go,  where  one  went  then. 

"  It  was  a  great  undertaking  in  those  days  to  come  from  the 
West  to  the  city  at  any  season,  particularly  in  the  winter,  and 
many  country  merchants  came  but  once  a  year.  Those  from 
the  line  of  the  Ohio  River  took  stage  at  Wheeling,  and  came 
over  the  mountains  to  Baltimore,  thence  to  the  city  by  schooners 
or  stage.  The  only  wonder  is  that  country  merchants  came  as 
often  as  they  did,  and  that  their  goods  could  be  transported  by 
teams  over  so  long  distances  and  pay  a  profit  above  expenses. 
Passengers  for  Philadelphia,  in  winter,  would  cross  to  Jersey 
City  the  evening  before,  sleep  at  a  tavern,  and  start  in  the 
morning  by  stage,  reaching  the  Quaker  City  in  a  day  and  a 
night.  At  a  later  period  they  went  by  steamer  to  Amboy,  and 
thence  by  stage.  Who,  that  now  witnesses  the  thousands 
daily  crossing  Cortlandt  Street  Ferry  to  take  the  cars,  can 
realize  that  sixty  years  ago  two  stages  would  carry  all  the  pas 
sengers  that  went  to  Newark  or  vicinity.  The  emigrant  who 
went  West  to  settle  had  to  go  by  wagon.  I  vividly  recall  the 
occasion  when  two  of  my  uncles  came  with  their  families  from 
Connecticut,  on  their  way  to  the  far  West,  stopping  at  my 
father's  house.  It  was  arranged  that,  as  they  might  never  see 
each  other  again,  the  relatives,  with  several  ministers,  should 
spend  the  afternoon  previous  to  their  starting  as  a  season  of 
special  prayer.  The  travellers  left  the  next  day  by  sloop  for 
Albany,  whence  teams  were  to  take  them  to  their  far  Western 
home,  which  was  at  Bloomfield,  just  beyond  Utica !  Why,  last 
fall  I  took  my  tea  at  my  house,  and  my  breakfast  next  morning 
beyond  that  distant  point. 

"  The  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  gave  a  new  impulse  to 
travel.  The  first  railroad  of  the  State  was  from  Albany  to 


5° 


WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 


Schenectady,  with  an  inclined  plane  at  either  end ;  this  was 
built  in  order  that  passengers  might  sooner  reach  the  canal,  as 
from  Albany  to  Schenectady  the  distance  was  much  greater, 
and  there  were  numerous  locks.  It  was  really  pleasant  to 
travel  by  canal,  as  from  Schenectady  to  Utica  there  was  hardly 
a  lock  (after  passing  Seneca  Falls),  and  there  were  but  few 
more  on  the  long  reach  from  Utica  to  Syracuse.  There  were 
rival  lines  of  packet  boats,  some  very  handsomely  fitted  up ; 
their  four  horses  were  matched  teams  of  either  black,  bay,  or 
gray,  and  the  best  that  could  be  found  ;  the  captains  and  owners 
took  great  pride  in  their  teams,  which  were  beautifully  harnessed, 
and  kept  up  a  speed  of  four  to  five  miles  an  hour.  There  was  no 
motion  felt,  and  when  in  the  cabin  it  was  hard  to  tell  if  the  boat 
was  under  way.  In  pleasant  weather  most  of  the  passengers 
sat  on  the  trunks  on  deck,  and  had  a  fine  view  of  the  country. 
Some  caution  was  required,  however.  When  one  happened  to 
be  standing,  and  the  driver  gave  a  snap  of  his  whip,  the  horses 
would  give  the  boat  a  sudden  start,  which  might  throw  a  pas 
senger  off.  Again,  as  the  bridges,  which  on  almost  every  farm 
crossed  the  canal,  were  then  very  low,  one  must  stoop  as  he 
passed,  or  be  knocked  overboard,  and  the  continued  cry  of  the 
helmsman  was,  '  Low  bridge  ! '  '  Heads  down  ! '  which  kept  one 
on  the  lookout.  The  fare  was  so  much  a  mile, '  and  found,'  and 
the  boats  provided  a  very  comfortable  table.  At  night  berths 
were  made  up  on  either  side,  each  just  wide  enough  to  hold  an 
ordinary  person ;  they  were  three  high,  and  supported  by  cords 
from  the  ceiling.  Lots  being  drawn  for  the  numbers,  it  often 
created  much  merriment  to  see  a  very  large  man  trying  to  get 
into  an  upper  berth,  while  the  holder  of  the  number  for  the 
under  one  looked  on  with  fear  lest  the  cords  might  break,  and 
let  his  companion  down.  The  ladies'  cabin  was  in  the  front  of 
the  boat,  separated  by  long  curtains,  which  were  thrown  open 
in  the  day-time." 

Such  was  the  New  York,  into  which  Mr.  William  E. 
Dodge  stepped  at  the  age  of  twenty  with  the  hope  of 
making  his  fortune,  and  such  was  his  environment. 


THIRD    DECADE 


(1825-35.     *:T.  20-30.) 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE     NEW     SIGN     ON     PEARL     STREET. 

HAVING  sold  his  interest  in  the  cotton  mill,  Mr. 
Dodge,  Senior,  resumed  the  dry  goods  business,  open 
ing  a  store  first  on  Beekman  Street,  whence  he  re 
moved  to  Maiden  Lane,  and  a  little  later  to  Pearl 
Street,  doing  business  on  the  principle  of  peregrina 
tion.  William  was  associated  with  him,  but  not  as  a 
partner.  Soon  a  Mr.  Gregory  came  into  the  firm, 
whereupon  the  younger  Dodge,  the  father  being  now 
amply  aided,  hung  out  a  sign  for  himself,  in  the  same 
line,  at  213  Pearl  Street,  only  a  few  doors  away. 
This  was  in  May,  1827.  How  did  he  get  the  means? 
Let  him  answer  for  himself  : 

"  A  retired  Connecticut  merchant,  with  whom  I  had  done 
business  most  of  the  time  while  a  clerk,  had  a  son  just  graduated 
from  Yale,  whom  he  was  anxious  to  place  in  New  York,  and 
having  heard  that  I  was  intending  to  commence  business  for 
myself,  proposed  a  co-partnership  with  his  son.  He  offered  to 
furnish  an  amount  of  capital  which,  with  the  small  sum  I  had 
(mostly  savings  from  my  salary),  would  make,  for  those  days, 
a  respectable  beginning,  and  furthermore,  promised  to  indorse 
for  us  to  any  reasonable  amount.  There  are  few  events 
in  a  man's  life  more  important  than  that  which  introduces  him 
into  active  business  on  his  own  account,  and  as  my  partner 
had  no  experience,  I  felt  the  responsibility  the  more.  Here  I 
will  venture  to  relate  an  incident,  as  I  think  it  may  be  of  ser- 


54 


WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 


vice  to  some  of  my  young  friends  who  are  looking  forward  to 
mercantile  life.     A  few  weeks  after  we  started,  and  when  our 
stock  of  goods  was  small,  three  young  men  stepped  into  the 
store,  each  having  two  large  tin  trunks  which  he  carried  in  his 
hands,  aided  by  a  large  strap  over  the  shoulders.     I  saw  at 
once  they  were  Connecticut  peddlers,  for  I  had  often  dealt  with 
such  when  a  clerk.     They  were  attracted  by  some  article  in  the 
window.     After  giving  them  its  price,  and  while  they  set  down 
their  loads  to  rest  and  talk,  I  said,  pleasantly :  '  I  see  you  are, 
like  myself,  just  starting  in  business.     Now,  let  me  make  you  a 
proposition.     There  is  plenty  of  room  in  our  store.     Each  of 
you  take  one  of  these  pigeon-holes  under  the  shelves,  put  your 
trunks  there  in  place  of  carrying  them  around  while  you  are 
picking  up  your  goods,  and  just   order  all  you  buy  to  be  sent 
here.    We  will  take  charge  of  your  purchases,  pack  and  ship 
them,  and  you  can  come  here  and  examine  your  bills,  write  let 
ters,  and  do  as  you  like,  whether  you  buy  a  dollar  of  us  or  not. 
I  want  to  make  at  least  a  show  of  doing  business,  and  it  will 
really  be  an  advantage  to  us  as  well  as  a  convenience  to  you.' 
They  were  pleased  with  the  offer,  accepted  it  at  once,  and  left 
in  search  of  such  things  as  they  wanted.     My  young  partner 
waited  till  they  got  out,  and  then,  with  considerable  excitement 
and  wounded  pride,  said :  '  Well,  are  those  what  you  call  cus 
tomers  ?  '     I  said :  '  Yes ;  you  know  that  tall  oaks  from  little 
acorns  grow.     We  shall  see  by  and  by  what  they  will  make.' 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  for  the  six  years  I  remained  in  the  dry- 
goods  business,  they  were  among  my  most  attached  customers. 
They  were  all  respectable  young  men,  not  afraid  of  work,  nor 
ashamed  of  small  beginnings.     They  are  all  living.     One  has 
been  president  of  a  New  England  bank  for  more  than  twenty 
years.     His  brother,  years  afterward,  moved  to  one  of  the  large 
towns  of  Ohio,  went  into  business,  and  has  grown  to  be  the 
man  of  the  place,  associated  with  the  railroads  and  public  im 
provements  of  the  State.     The  other,  who  was  from  a  manu 
facturing  town  in  Connecticut,  has  long  been  connected  with 
the  large  mills  of  the  place,  a  man  unusually  respected.     These 
are  examples  of  hundreds  of  our  most  successful  and  honored 


THE    NEW    SIGN    ON    PEARL    STREET.  55 

citizens,  who  have  begun  with  little  or  nothing,  but  by  industry, 
economy  and  prudence,  and  have  risen  to  the  highest  positions  in 
our  city  and  country.  If  the  history  of  our  citizens  of  wealth 
were  written,  we  should  find  that  full  three-fourths  had  risen 
from  comparatively  small  beginnings  to  their  present  positions. 

"  I  call  to  mind  an  old  man  from  Wheeling,  Virginia,  who, 
though  wealthy,  still  dressed  as  he  did  when  a  travelling  ped 
dler.  He  was  a  very  large  buyer,  and  his  credit  was  beyond 
doubt.  He  had  a  number  of  wagons  peddling  all  over  the 
West,  and  made  Wheeling  his  headquarters.  I  had  secured 
the  confidence  of  this  man,  and  sold  him  large  quantities  of 
goods,  but  my  partner  thought  it  rather  degrading  to  have  so 
rough  a  man  about  the  store. 

"  If  one  would  be  a  good  salesman  he  must  be  all  things  to 
all  men ;  and  here  permit  me  to  say  to  my  young  friends,  that 
open,  frank,  upright  dealing  with  customers  is  the  way  to  se 
cure  their  confidence  and  trade. 

"  I  sometimes  almost  desire  those  days  back  again,  for  then 
young  men  had  opportunities  that  cannot  be  enjoyed  by  those 
of  this  day.  Then,  business  of  all^  kinds  was  conducted  on 
moderate  capital,  and  the  number  of  merchants  doing  business 
on  their  own  account,  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  business 
done,  was  far  greater  than  now,  and  particularly  so  in  the  dry 
goods  and  hardware  trades.  Then,  young  men,  if  of  undoubted 
character,  starting  with  a  very  moderate  capital,  could  com 
mand  a  fair  credit,  and,  with  very  light  rents  and  general  ex 
penses,  could  grow  year  by  year  into  a  larger  and  better  busi 
ness.  If  economical,  they  could  afford  and  begin  housekeeping 
with  fair  prospect  of  success.  Now,  business  is  in  compara 
tively  few  hands,  with  large  capital  and  many  clerks,  with 
sales  every  month,  yes,  even  every  week,  amounting  to  what 
very  few  then  reached  in  a  year."  * 

It  was  entirely  characteristic  of  William  E.  Dodge, 
that  though  necessarily  up  to  his  eyes  and  ears  in 


1  Lecture  on  old  New  York.    See  preceding  chapter. 


56  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

business,  in  these  days  of  setting  out,  he  yet  found 
or  made  time  for  his  religious  activities.  His  maternal 
uncle,  the  Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Cox,  at  whose  fireside  he 
had  sat  when  a  school-boy,  in  Mendham,  was  now  the 
successful  and  popular  pastor  of  the  Laight  Street 
Presbyterian  Church.  Naturally,  the  Dodge  family 
found  a  Christian  home  in  this  communion.  The 
young  man,  who  had  a  keen  sense  of  humor,  must 
have  enjoyed  many  a  quiet  laugh  up  his  sleeve  at  the 
quiddities  and  oddities  of  his  relative  and  pastor.  For, 
as  remarked  in  the  previous  chapter,  Dr.  Cox  was 
sui generis.  Though  a  learned  man,  he  was  pedantic, 
and  loved  to  parade  his  knowledge.  He  was  es 
pecially  fond  of  rolling  out  the  Latin  and  Greek  in 
sonorous  periods  and  on  all  occasions.  When  the 
Moderator  of  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly,  in 
a  meeting  at  Philadelphia,  in  offering  the  opening 
prayer  in  the  morning,  he  said  : 

"  Oh  Lord,  thou  art  the  ne plus  ultra  of  our  desires, 
the  sine  qua  non  of  our  faith,  and  the  Ultima  Thule  of 
our  hope." 

So  natural  was  this  form  of  expression  to  him,  that 
when  spoken  to  about  it  he  had  no  recollection  of  it. 

In  conjunction  with  this  quaint  but  able  man,  Mr. 
Dodge  interested  himself  warmly  in  the  special  work 
of  his  own  church,  and  in  other  and  related  Christian 
efforts.  The  Sunday-School  system,  originated  in 
1781  by  Robert  Raikes,  in  whose  memory  a  statue 
now  stands  in  London,  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames, 
was  then  in  its  infancy  in  America.  Referring  to 
this  he  says  : 

"  There  were  but  two  or  three  in  New  York  in  the  twenties, 
and  these  were  designed  only  for  the  instruction  of  poor  and 


THE    NEW    SIGN    ON    PEARL    STREET.  57 

neglected  children.  The  children  of  church-goers  were  taught 
at  home  in  the  Catechism,  and  in  many  churches  were  expected 
to  appear  and  recite  each  Wednesday  afternoon  in  the  session 
room  to  the  pastor  and  elders." 

Away  back  in  that  day  of  small  things,  Mr.  Dodge 
saw  the  infinite  capacities  of  this  system.  He  made 
haste  to  identify  himself  with  it,  a  connection  con 
tinued  for  more  than  forty  years.  It  is  to-day  what 
it  is  largely  through  his  instrumentality — the  moral 
training  place  of  youth,  the  nursery  of  the  church, 
the  normal  school  of  piety,  the  arena  of  consecration, 
the  children's  church,  whose  teachers  are  now  num 
bered  by  thousands,  and  whose  scholars  are  counted 
by  millions. 

"  How  far  that  little  candle  throws  his  beams  !  " 

Feeling,  too,  the  need  of  some  organization  for 
young  men  at  once  social  and  religious,  he  suggested 
and  aided  in  founding  the  "  New  York  Young  Men's 
Bible  Society,"  whose  members  acted  as  colporteurs, 
and  visited  the  sick,  clothed  the  naked,  waited  on  the 
prisoner — resurrecting  the  Good  Samaritan.  These 
ministrations  brought  our  young  apostle  into  the 
best  company,  and  that  company  is  always  the  best 
which  is  the  best  employed.  He  met  in  these  rounds 
Mr.  Daniel  James,  who  afterwards  became  his  brother- 
in-law  and  partner  ;  Mr.  William  B.  Kinney,  in  later 
years  also  a  brother-in-law,  long  the  representative  of 
the  United  States  at  the  Italian  Court,  and  the  inti 
mate  friend  of  Count  Cavour  ;  and  Mr.  James  Harper, 
of  the  publishing  house  of  Harper  Brothers,  and 
sometime  Mayor  of  New  York.  These  young  busi- 


58  WILLIAM     E.     BODGE. 

ness  men  were  regarded  by  their  associates  in  trade 
as  eccentric  in  their  tract-distributing  and  prayer- 
meeting  work.  This  did  not  much  disturb  them. 
They  no  doubt  thought  as  Spurgeon  has  said  :  "  If 
the  center  is  to  be  up  in  the  clouds,  let  a  few  of  us, 
who  care  for  something  practical,  stop  below,  and  be 
regarded  as  acentric."  The  name  "  Puritan,"  hic 
coughed  by  tipsy  cavaliers  as  a  reproach,  and  the 
epithet  "Methodist"  hurled  at  John  and  Charles 
Wesley  by  the  roystering  scholars  of  Oxford,  have 
been  long  worn  as  a  proud  decoration  by  millions  of 
their  followers  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 

Eccentricity  is  a  matter  of  latitude  and  longitude. 
As  we  voyage  through  the  years  eccentric  becomes 
concentric.  The  heresy  of  yesterday  is  the  orthodoxy 
of  to-day. 

Mr.  Dodge  never  believed  in  the  Gospel  of  hum 
drum.  He  was  himself  an  original  in  his  business 
and  in  his  religious  methods.  Is  not  this  the  secret 
of  his  success  in  both  ?  One  criticism  which  may  be 
made  justly  upon  the  schools  is  that  they  run  all 
kinds  of  human  metal  in  one  mould.  They  train 
men  out  of  originality  and  into  uniformity.  Routine 
men  follow  each  other  in  one  line,  diploma  in  hand, 
like  caterpillars  which  often  make  a  procession  head 
to  tail,  which  is  continuous,  till  you  half  fancy  it  is 
only  a  single  insect.  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  says  of 
painters  :  "  Few  have  been  taught  to  any  purpose 
who  have  not  been  their  own  teachers."  And  it  is 
remarked  as  the  peculiar  excellence  of  Gainsborough 
that  he  formed  his  style  for  himself  out  in  the  open 
and  not  in  the  studios  of  the  academy.  We  need 
more  Gainsboroughs  in  business,  in  the  pulpit,  in  the 


THE    NEW    SIGN    ON    PEARL    STREET.  59 

professions — men   of    dash,  men   of   daring,  men    of 
initiative. 

Perhaps,  after  all,  it  was  well  for  William  E.  Dodge 
and  for  the  world  that  he  was  taken  from  school  and 
pitched  out  into  life  at  thirteen  years  of  age. 


CHAPTER    II. 

MARRIAGE. 

IN  so  far  as  this  world  is  concerned,  the  most  im 
portant  event  in  the  life  of  any  man  or  woman  is 
marriage.  This  occurrence  is  even  more  vital  in  the 
woman's  case  than  in  the  man's,  for  the  reason  which 
Byron  gives  : 

"  Man's  love  is  of  man's  life  a  thing  apart ; 
'Tis  woman's  whole  existence." 

If  a  man  marries  unhappily,  there  is  his  business, 
there  is  his  club — a  dozen  arenas  are  open  to  him. 
True,  these  are  poor  substitutes  for  a  happy  home. 
But  though  he  is  maimed  by  a  bad  choice,  she  is 
ruined.  For  her  realm  is  home.  If  that  be  a 
mockery,  what  has  she  left  ? 

Rather  let  it  be  said  that  marriage  makes  or  undoes 
both  man  and  woman.  If  not  equally  vital  in  either 
case,  it  is  sufficiently  so.  Ought  it  not,  therefore,  to 
be  put  under  the  conjoint  guidance  of  reason  and 
conscience  ? 

Listen,  then,  to  the  weighty  words  of  Mrs.  Jame 
son,  and  ponder  them  : 

"  Strange,  and  passing  strange,  that  the  relation  between  the 
two  sexes — the  passion  of  love,  in  short — should  not  be  taken 
into  deeper  consideration  by  our  teachers  and  our  legislators  ! 
People  educate  and  legislate  as  if  there  was  no  such  thing  in 


MARRIAGE  6l 

the  world  ;  but  ask  the  priest,  ask  the  physician  :  let  them 
reveal  the  amount  of  moral  and  physical  results  from  this  one 
cause. 

"  Must  love  be  ever  treated  with  profaneness,  as  a  mere 
illusion  ?  or  with  coarseness,  as  a  mere  impulse  ?  or  with  fear, 
as  a  mere  disease  ?  or  with  shame,  as  a  mere  weakness  ?  or 
with  levity,  as  a  mere  accident  ?  Whereas  it  is  a  great  mystery 
and  a  great  necessity,  lying  at  the  foundation  of  human  ex 
istence,  morality,  and  happiness — mysterious,  universal,  inevit 
able  as  death.  Why,  then,  should  love  be  treated  less  seriously 
than  death  ?  It  is  as  serious  a  thing.  Death  must  come,  and 
love  must  come.  But  the  state  in  which  they  find  us  ?  whether 
blinded,  astonished,  frightened,  ignorant ;  or,  like  reasonable 
creatures,  guarded,  prepared,  and  fit  to  manage  our  own  feel 
ings  ?  This,  I  suppose,  depends  upon  ourselves  ;  and  for  want 
of  such  self-management  and  self-knowledge,  look  at  the  evils 
that  ensue !  Hasty,  improvident,  unsuitable  marriages  ;  re 
pining,  diseased,  or  vicious  celibacy ;  irretrievable  infamy ; 
cureless  insanity  ;  the  death  that  comes  early  and  the  love  that 
comes  late — reversing  the  primal  laws  of  our  nature." 

In  nothing  does  a  man  or  woman  show  moral 
training  so  characteristically  as  in  this  selection  of 
another  self.  Love  should  always  precede  marriage. 
But  love  alone  is  not  enough — especially  that  bastard 
love  which  is  born  of  a  glancing  eye  or  a  week's 
proximity.  In  order  to  last  under  the  wear  and  tear 
of  matrimony,  the  love  which  ends  in  marriage  must 
be  based  upon  mutual  knowledge  and  respect  and 
accord.  A  match  inspired  by  passion,  or  the  issue  of 
romantic  impulse,  or  conceived  in  flagrant  disregard 
of  parental  rights  and  authority,  usually  and  legiti 
mately  ends  in  misery,  and  invites  divorce.  Here  we 
have,  in  a  few  words,  the  sufficient  explanation  of  the 
why  and  wherefore  of  so  many  unhappy  marriages. 

William  E.  Dodge  was  peculiarly  blessed  in  this  re- 


62  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

lation — was  from  first  to  last  the  remark  and  envy  of 
his  friends  in  his  choice.  Why  ?  Because  he  acted 
here  as  elsewhere  with  religious  circumspection. 
Upon  returning  to  New  York,  in  1825,  a  manly  young 
fellow  of  twenty,  he  straightway  met  and  lost  his 
heart  to  Miss  Melissa  Phelps.  This  young  lady  was 
the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  and  prominent  merchant, 
of  whom  we  shall  see  something  more  before  we  get 
through.  She  was  at  this  time  but  sixteen,  but  was 
a  girl  developed  in  body  and  mind  beyond  her  years. 
Her  father  and  the  father  of  William  E.  Dodge  were 
old  and  warm  friends,  associated  in  many  and  intimate 
relations  of  a  religious  and  philanthropic  nature. 
Hence  the  two  families  were  thrown  into  unrestrained 
intercourse.  The  Phelpses,  like  the  Dodges,  were 
from  Hartford,  where  their  friendship  had  begun. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Dodge,  Senior,  came  to 
New  York  in  1807.  Mr.  Phelps  followed  in  1815. 
William  and  Melissa  were  acquainted  as  boy  and  girl  ; 
but  his  four  years  seniority  took  him  out  of  her  circle 
of  playmates.  In  1819,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Dodges 
went  back  to  Connecticut,  returning  in  1825.  These 
six  years  of  separation  developed  the  girl  into  a 
maiden  and  the  lad  into  a  man  ;  he,  tall,  active, 
ambitious,  forced  on  by  premature  acquaintance  with 
life  ;  and  she  a  beautiful  and  graceful  woman,  old 
beyond  her  age,  as  already  remarked — a  result  which 
might  be  expected  in  an  elder  sister  filling  an  impor 
tant  place  in  the  household  and  social  activities  of 
her  father's  hospitable  and  benevolent  home.  After 
the  interval  of  separation,  therefore,  they  met  almost 
as  strangers — each  grown  and  changed  out  of  the 
other's  recognition. 


MARRIAGE.  63 

Let  us  take  a  closer  look  at  this  young  lady.  Miss 
Melissa  Phelps  was  born  in  Hartford,  like  her  fu 
ture  husband.  She  was  the  second  of  six  children.1 
Her  parents  placed  her  at  school  in  New  Haven, 
then  as  now  an  educational  center,  where  she  was 
taught  by  Mr.  Herrick,  a  famous  instructor  of  young 
ladies.  While  she  was  in  New  Haven,  Nettleton, 
the  Evangelist,  came  thither,  and  his  preaching  im 
pressed  her,  as  it  had  young  Dodge  in  Hartford.  As 
a  result,  she  united  with  the  old  Brick  Church  in  New 
York,  of  which  her  father  was  an  elder,  and  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Gardiner  Spring  was  pastor,  when  she  was  but 
twelve  years  old.  Miss  Melissa  grew  in  grace  as  she 
grew  in  age.  Her  interest  in  the  Christian  life  was 
profound  and  intelligent  from  the  outset.  She  felt 
that  for  herself  and  for  others  it  was  the  chief  thing 
to  be  attained,  and  when  attained  to  be  cultivated. 
Hence,  although  possessed  of  every  worldly  advan 
tage,  fitted  to  shine  in  society  by  her  father's  princely 
position,  and  by  her  own  beauty,  accomplishments, 
and  ready  wit,  she  never  aimed  at  social  distinction, 
but  from  earliest  girlhood  gave  herself  to  unselfish 
and  outreaching  work  among  and  for  the  poor  and 
miserable.  A  lassie  of  high  aims  was  she,  with  noble 
ideas — no  butterfly  of  fashion,  sailing  on  embroidered 
wings  in  pursuit  of  pleasure  and  admiration  ;  not  a 


1  The  family  of  Anson  G.  Phelps  consisted  of  five  daugthers  and 
one  son,  viz.:  Elizabeth  W.  (Mrs.  Daniel  James),  Melissa  P.  (Mrs. 
William  E.  Dodge),  Caroline  P.  (Mrs.  James  Stokes),  Harriet 
Newell  (Mrs.  Charles  F.  Pond),  Anson  G.  Phelps,  Jr.,  and  Olivia 
Eggleston  (Mrs.  B.  B.  Atterbury).  Of  these  but  three  are  now 
living — Mrs.  Dodge,  Mrs.  Pond,  and  Mrs.  Atterbury. 


64  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

spoiled  favorite  of  fortune,  finding  her  palatial  home 
a  stately  sepulchre,  in  which  all  genuine  feeling  and 
simple  enjoyment  lay  dead  and  wrapped  in  cerements 
of  cold  vanity  and  frosty  etiquette  ! 

It  speaks  well  for  Mr.  Dodge  that  he  could  rivet 
the  attention  and  win  the  affection  of  such  a  girl. 
But  if  she  was  a  rare  woman,  he  was  a  rare  man.  It 
was  a  kind  Providence  that  brought  such  a  couple 
together. 

Now,  young  Dodge  had  vowed  a  vow.  Prompted 
by  observation  of  the  evils  of  improvidence,  or,  hap 
ly,  by  innate  good  sense,  he  had  promised  himself 
not  to  marry  before  he  should  be  of  age,  nor  then  un 
less  in  a  condition  to  support  a  wife.  The  sight  of 
Miss  Melissa,  walking 

"  In  maiden  meditation,  fancy  free," 

shook  his  resolution.  He  resolved  to  woo  and  win  at 
once — happily  his  twenty-first  birthday  was  just  at 
hand. 

Circumstances  conspired  to  aid  him.  He  had  the 
utmost  confidence  of  the  lady's  parents  and  was  a  wel 
come  guest  at  their  house.  From  time  to  time  he  acted 
as  escort  to  Miss  Melissa  and  her  sisters.  Here  was  a 
new  world  which  this  new  Columbus  joyfully  discov 
ered.  He  acquainted  himself  with  his  sweetheart's 
tastes,  habits,  motives.  Love  thrived  on  knowledge. 
Soon  the  young  man  determined  to  declare  his  feel 
ings.  He  was  not  one  to  let  "  I  dare  not,  wait  upon  I 
would."  'On  the  4th  of  September,  1826,  legal  man 
hood  was  attained.  He  was  "  lord  of  himself." 
Very  well.  Now  for  the  momentous  question.  One 
day  Miss  Melissa  saw  a  gig  drive  to  her  door.  She 


MARRIAGE.  65 

saw  Mr.  William  E.  Dodge  get  out  of  it.  Next,  she 
heard  herself  invited  to  take  a  drive  to  Coney  Island. 
She  went.  During  that  memorable  ride  the  question 
was  asked  and  satisfactorily  answered.  What  next  ? 
Why,  the  parents  on  his  side  and  on  hers  were  to  be 
consulted — for  this  was  no  "  Young  Lochinvar  "  affair. 
These  old-fashioned  young  people  never  imagined 
that  a  happy  marriage  could  be  consummated  with 
out  parental  consent  and  blessing.  So  Mr.  Dodge, 
encouraged  by  the  coy  and  conditional  acceptance  of 
Miss  Melissa,  hurried  first  to  his  own  father  and 
mother,  secured  their  pleased  concurrence,  and  then 
straightway  sat  down  and  wrote,  in  that  fair  and  easy 
chirography  of  his,  a  letter  to  his  "  respected  friends," 
the  lassie's  father  and  mother,  making  a  formal  but 
earnest  appeal  for  their  sanction.  The  letter  itself  is 
withdrawn  from  the  public  eye,  but  its  conclusion  is 
so  characteristic,  that  we  quote  it  : 

"  Praying  that  God,  whose  unseen  hand  directs  in  all  the  con 
cerns  of  life,  may  lead  you  to  that  conclusion  which  may  be  for 
His  glory  and  our  good  for  time  and  eternity,  I  subscribe  my 
self,"  etc. 

That  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phelps  were  pleased  with  the 
letter,  and  even  more  satisfied  with  the  writer,  is  evi 
dent  from  Mr.  Phelps's  reply  : 

"  We  shall  ever  study  to  promote  the  happiness  of  our  be 
loved  daughter  ;  and  if  complying  with  your  very  respectful  re 
quest  coincides  with  her  views,  it  will  meet  our  perfect  approba 
tion.  Permit  me  here  to  remark  that  in  addition  to  the  esteem 
we  have  ever  had  for  you  personally,  it  is  greatly  strengthened 
by  the  long  and  uninterrupted  friendship  subsisting  between 
your  family  and  our  own.  Trusting  the  same  Hand  that  has 
led  you  to  both  seek  a  better  good  than  this  world  can  afford, 


66  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

will  still  cause  His  word  to  be  as  a  cloudy  pillar  by  day  and  a 
light  of  fire  by  night  to  guide  you  safely  through  this  wilderness, 
and  finally  to  give  you  an  inheritance  among  the  just,  we  remain 
your  affectionate  friends." 

So  it  was  happily  arranged.  The  young  people 
were  overjoyed,  the  parents  on  both  sides  were  con 
sulted  and  equally  agreeable,  and  the  divine  benedic 
tion  had  been  sought  and  obtained — as  witness  a 
union  crowned  with  perfect  love  and  sunshine  through 
more  than  half  a  century.  However,  the  marriage 
did  not  take  place  at  once.  Indeed,  two  years  passed 
before  the  happy  day  arrived.  Then,  on  the  24th  of 
June,  (what  so  proper  season  for  such  a  ceremony  as 
the  month  of  roses?),  in  1828,  at  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Phelps  (No.  32  Cliff  Street),  these  two  were  made 
one,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gardiner  Spring,  of  the  Brick 
Church,  officiating. 

What  shall  we  say  of  their  wedding  journey  ?  It 
was  a  poem  and  a  strain  of  music,  both  in  one. 
Happy  ?  Of  course.  Prolonged  ?  Yes — the  conven 
tional  month,  and  a  veritable  honeymoon.  Where  did 
they  go  ?  Why,  into  Connecticut,  where  in  a  chaise 
just  large  enough  for  two  (though  their  hearts  were 
expansive  enough  then  and  always  to  seat  the  whole 
world  at  the  hearthstone  of  their  happiness),  they 
rolled  from  town  to  town  through  the  smiling  coun 
try,  spending  a  day  here  and  a  night  there  among 
their  relatives — the  whole  jaunt  a  dream  of  bliss. 
What  the  young  wife  wore  the  present  writer  does 
not  know.  But  the  new  proprietor  loved  then,  and 
delighted  to  the  end  of  his  life  to  recount  the  details 
of  the  trip,  while  his  keen  observation  grasped  and  re 
tained  the  materiiil,  color  and  trimmings  of  his  bride's 


MARRIAGE.  67 

travelling-dress,  which  ever  afterwards  combined  his 
ideal  of  a  becoming  costume.  * 

Thus  did  the  young  merchant  take  his  next  and 
most  momentous  step  to  fortune  and  fair  fame,  while 
his  admiring  friends,  borrowing  the  words  of  Con- 
greve,  cried  : 

"  Thy  wife  is  a  constellation  of  virtues  ;  she's  the  moon,  and 
thou  art  the  man  in  the  moon." 3 


1  See  Memorials  of  William  E.  Dodge,  by   D.    Stuart   Dodge, 
page  17. 

3  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge's  children  are  as  follows  : 
William  E.,  Jr., 
Anson  P., 
D.  Stuart, 

Sarah  Olivia  (died  in  infancy), 
Charles  C., 

Melissa  P.  (died  in  childhood), 
Norman  White, 
George  Eggleston, 
Arthur  Murray. 


CHAPTER    III. 

PHELPS,     DODGE     &     CO. 

ON  returning  from  their  wedding  journey,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dodge  resided  for  some  months  with  the  bride's 
parents.  Then  they  set  up  for  themselves.  Let  us 
get  Mr.  Dodge  to  tell  us  about  this.  It  is  always  in 
teresting  to  hear  him  gossip.  There  never  was  a 
more  delightful  talker  : 

"  I  commenced  housekeeping  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city, 
in  Bleecker  Street,  between  Broadway  and  the  Bowery.  There 
were  eight  new  two-story  attic  houses  just  finished,  twenty- 
three  by  forty  feet,  and  three  or  four  of  us,  young  married  peo 
ple,  took  houses  adjoining,  and  each  paid  $300  a  year  rent,  and 
when  newly  furnished  we  thought  them  very  fine.  Young 
business  men  could  afford  to  marry  in  those  days.  I  had  the 
curiosity  to  call  a  short  time  since  and  ask  the  present  occu 
pant  what  rent  he  paid.  He  said  the  rent  had  been  reduced, 
and  he  was  now  paying  but  $1,500.  I  told  him  I  only  inquired 
from  curiosity,  as,  when  the  house  was  new  I  paid  just  one- 
fifth  of  that. 

In  this  Bleecker  Street  snuggery,  which  his  wife 
kept  as  a  queen  might  guard  her  realm,  and  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  business  down  there  in  Pearl 
Street,  Mr.  Dodge  passed  several  prosperous  and 
happy  years.  In  May,  1832,  an  event  occurred  which 
suddenly  changed  his  business  life,  a  fall  which  lifted 
him  up. 


PHELPS,    DODGE    &    CO.  69 

His  father-in-law,  Mr.  Phelps,  was  at  the  head  of  a 
great  metal  importing  house.  He  had  just  con 
structed  and  occupied  a  new  and  imposing  ware 
house,  on  the  corner  of  Cliff  and  Fulton  Streets. 
The  foundation  proved  defective.  Without  an  in 
stant's  warning  it  came  crashing  to  the  ground,  bury 
ing  in  the  debris  seven  persons,  among  them  two 
bookkeepers  and  a  confidential  salesman.  For  a 
time  it  was  feared  that  both  Mr.  Phelps  and  his  son 
were  entombed  in  the  ruins.  Later,  however,  it  was 
happily  discovered  that  both  were  safe,  the  father 
having  been  called  out  by  a  business  engagement,  and 
the  boy  being  away  on  an  errand  at  this  tragic  mo 
ment.  Imagine  their  meeting  ! 

But  even  so  the  accident  was  sufficiently  distress 
ing.  The  loss  of  life,  the  destruction  of  property,  the 
interruption  to  business,  quite  unmanned  Mr.  Phelps. 
He  turned  to  his  son-in-law  and  was  bravely  aided  by 
his  clear  head,  unflagging  energy,  and  courageous 
spirit.  Stormy  weather  at  once  trains  and  tests  sea 
manship.  Any  Chinese  junk  can  sail  over  summer 
seas.  Here  was  one  who  grew  calmer  as  the  waves 
became  more  boisterous.  Mr.  Phelps  put  on  his 
thinking  cap.  Why  not  put  this  cool  intelligence, 
this  strong  hand  on  deck  and  in  command  ? 

*' William,"  said  he,  "  sell  out  your  dry  goods  busi 
ness  and  join  me." 

Mr.  Dodge  was  surprised,  at  first  not  acquiescent. 
He  was  doing  well.  It  was  a  long  jump  from  dry 
goods  to  metals.  He  understood  that  business,  he 
must  learn  this.  The  change  would  throw  overboard 
more  than  a  dozen  years  of  experience  ;  not  alto 
gether,  though,  for  experience  is  experience,  what- 


70  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

ever  the  line  of  business  in  which  it  may  have  been 
acquired.  After  careful  consideration,  and  influenced 
at  last,  more  by  the  need  of  Mr.  Phelps  than  by  his 
own  desire,  he  sold  out  his  own  stock,  and  that  sign 
put  up  with  so  much  pride  on  Pearl  Street,  and  kept 
up  with  so  much  honor,  was  taken  down. 

Referring  to  this  long  afterwards,  Mr.  Dodge  said  : 

"  I  retired  from  the  dry  goods  trade  after  a  pleasant  and  suc 
cessful  connection  with  it  for  more  than  fourteen  years,  but  I 
have  ever  felt  a  deep  interest  in  it  as  my  first  love." 

In  1833  he  entered  the  new  partnership,  which  took 
the  name  of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  At  this  date  the 
firm  was  composed  of  Anson  G.  Phelps,  William  E. 
Dodge  and  Daniel  James,  who  married  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  senior  partner,  Miss  Elizabeth,  and 
who  for  forty-eight  years  conducted  the  foreign  af 
fairs  of  the  house,  with  headquarters  at  Liverpool. 
On  the  site  of  the  fallen  warehouse  a  new  structure 
was  erected,  and  there  on  Cliff  Street  the  business 
has  been  and  is  conducted  on  principles  of  fair  play 
and  honest  dealing.  It  is,  and  ever  has  been,  the 
largest  house  in  its  line  in  the  world,  a  monument  to 
its  founders  and  a  bonanza,  too. 

As  Mr.  Dodge  comes  into  this  double  relation  of 
son-in-law  and  partner  to  Mr.  Phelps,  it  is  important 
that  we  should  stop  a  moment  and  acquaint  ourselves 
with  this  man. 

He  invites  and  repays  scrutiny.  Picture  to  your 
self  a  large  man,  large  every  way,  physically,  men 
tally,  spiritually,  a  king  of  men.  The  ancients  would 
have  crowned  him  for  his  bodily  qualities.  Frederick 
the  Great  would  have  had  him  in  his  guards.  In  any 


PHEI.PS,    DODGK    &    CO.  71 

age  liis  intellect  would  have  pushed  him  to  the  front. 
Christian  principle  made  him  a  hero  of  faith.  Yes, 
he  was  an  "  all-round "  athlete,  wrestling  in  the 
arena  of  life  for  the  mere  joy  of  the  struggle. 

Anson  G.  Phelps  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1771. 
He  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  his 
father  dying  soon  after  his  birth,  and  his  mother 
when  he  was  eleven  years  old.  He  came  of  a  good 
stock,  the  aristocracy  of  moral  worth  and  culture. 
What  other  pedigree  can  equal  this?  His  more  im 
mediate  ancestors  were  among  the  Massachusetts  Pil 
grims,  and  landed  in  1630.  His  father  was  a  Revo 
lutionary  soldier,  and  served  with  honor  from  Lex 
ington  to  Yorktown.  His  mother,  whom  he  idolized, 
and  whom,  though  he  lost  her  so  soon,  he  carried  in 
his  mind  and  heart  as  a  living  memory,  next  to  Jesus 
Christ,  the  mainspring  of  his  whole  career,  was  a  re 
markable  woman,  (as  every  mother  of  a  remarkable 
man  must  be),  a  Miss  Woodbridge,  a  descendant  of 
the  Rev.  Timothy  Woodbridge,  pastor  of  the  First 
(Center)  Church  in  Hartford,  from  1685  to  1732,  and 
himself  sprung  from  two  generations  of  clergymen. 

The  boy  fell  on  his  feet.  He  learned  a  trade,  was 
converted  at  eighteen,  went  to  Hartford  and  began 
life  for  himself.  Here  he  united  with  that  same 
Center  Church  where  his  mother's  progenitor  had 
preached  so  long.  In  Hartford  he  married  Miss 
Olivia  Eggleston,  a  fortunate  choice.  This  lady's 
family  ranked  among  the  first.  She  was  a  woman  of 
equable  temperament,  great  force  of  character,  and 
firm  but  gentle  spirit,  and  well  educated  withal. 
Here  was  a  matrimonial  firm  admirably  suited  to  the 
carrying  on  of  a  successful  domestic  business,  which 


72  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

success  is  abundantly  attested  by  their  honorable  and 
honored  children  and  grandchildren.  Say  what  you 
will,  blood  does  tell,  and  piety  even  more. 

After  various  more  or  less  successful  ventures,  eager 
for  the  largest  field,  and  confident  that  his  stalwart 
shoulders  could  carry  the  heaviest  burdens,  Mr. 
Phelps  came  to  New  York,  as  already  recorded,  in 
1815,  and  soon  after  entered  upon  the  magnificent 
mercantile  career  which  won  him  colossal  wealth  and 
splendid  reputation. 

One  who  knew  him  long  and  observed  him  in 
timately,  remarks  of  him  : 

"  Self-reliance,  an  iron  will,  solid  and  comprehensive  judg 
ment,  a  sagacious  power  of  combination  and  forecast,  indom 
itable  perseverance,  good  common  sense,  a  physical  constitution 
capable  of  immense  labor  and  endurance  ;  these  are  some  of  the 
qualities  which  give  assurance  of  a  marked  man,  and  I  think 
all  that  knew  him  will  admit  that  Mr.  Phelps  possessed  them. 
Had  he  possessed  no  others  of  a  gentler  nature,  or  had  these 
not  been  restrained  and  tempered  by  religious  principle,  his 
life  would  probably  have  been  one  of  unchecked  worldly  enter 
prise  and  mercantile  ambition.  As  it  was,  his  principal  temp 
tation  lay,  I  suppose,  in  this  direction.  His  business  engage 
ments  and  speculations  were  often  very  large,  complicated, 
based  upon  calculations  which  he  alone  could  fully  appreciate, 
and  required,  some  of  them,  a  long  time  to  ripen  and  bear 
fruit.  In  this  respect  he  resembled  a  general,  whose  combina 
tions  are  so  peculiar  and  far-reaching,  that  none  but  himself 
can  execute  them.  His  commercial  career,  therefore,  was 
signalized  by  incessant  and  extreme  activity.  Few  men,  I  ap 
prehend,  could  be  overwhelmed  by  the  toils,  responsibilities 
and  cares  of  business,  as  he  was,  without  serious  detriment  to 
their  higher  interests.  How  far  they  were  a  damage  to  his 
Christian  life,  I  do  not  know,  but  I  am  sure  the  damage  would 


PHELPS,    DODGE    &    CO.  73 

have  been  incalculable,  if  not  fatal,  had  it  not  been  warded  off 
by  grace  and  the  habit  of  benevolence." 

In  Mr.  Phelps  the  junior  partner  found  both  a 
mentor  and  a  coadjutor.  Alike  in  their  deep  piety, 
quick  perception  and  comprehensive  vision,  what  ad 
vantage  the  elder  had  in  experience,  the  younger 
made  up  in  tact  and  fire.  It  was  a  Titanic  combina 
tion.  These  were  Napoleons  of  trade.  Fertile  in  re 
sources,  courageous  in  the  face  of  peril,  most  at  home 
when  and  where  the  strife  was  hottest,  thoroughly 
enjoying  the  stir  and  strain  of  the  market-place,  their 
partnership  placed  a  mortgage  upon  success,  and  then 
foreclosed  it. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BUSINESS    SAINTS    AND    SINNERS. 

JUST  here,  as  Messrs.  Phelps  and  Dodge  join  forces 
and  start  upon  their  campaign  of  rapid  success,  it 
should  seem  timely  and  fitting  to  transmute  biography 
into  philosophy  for  a  chapter,  in  order  to  outline  the 
origin  and  function  of  trade,  and  to  stake  down  the 
boundary  between  the  legitimate  and  the  illegitimate 
in  business. 

Broadly  grouped,  the  employments  of  civilized  life 
may  be  divided  into  two  classes,  corresponding  to  the 
human  body  and  soul.  Trade  ministers  to  the  body  ; 
knowledge  caters  to  the  spirit.  Thus  the  trader  is  the 
representative  of  outward  or  practical  life,  while  the 
scholar  is  the  representative  of  inward  or  intellectual 
life.  But  it  is  not  best  that  a  man  should  belong 
wholly  to  the  one  or  the  other  of  these  two  classes. 
For  the  true  trader  is  a  man  acting,  but  capable  of 
thinking  ;  and  the  true  scholar  is  a  man  thinking,  but 
capable  of  acting. 

Next  to  the  desire  for  power,  which  is  the  ultimate 
force  in  the  (masculine)  human  heart,  the  idea  of  ex 
change  lies  at  the  foundation  of  the  vast  aggregation 
of  industry  and  enterprise  which  is  called  by  the  com 
prehensive  name  of  trade.  One  wants  what  another 
wishes  to  dispose  of  ;  upon  this  simple  basis  rests  the 
whole  colossal  structure.  It  may  be  thus  formulated  : 


BUSINESS    SAINTS    AND    SINNERS.  75 

I  have  what  you  want,  and  you  have  what  I  want  ;  we 
exchange.  Such  is  trade,  and  we  see  in  one  view  its 
origin  and  function. 

All  commercial  movement  may  be  traced  back  to 
inequality,  and  the  consequent  tendency  to  equaliza 
tion — which,  however,  is  never  reached.  To  illustrate  : 
Here  runs  a  range  of  mountains.  On  this  side  corn  is 
produced  ;  on  that  side  the  grape  is  grown.  The  fig 
is  found  in  this  fat  and  sunny  valley  ;  on  yonder 
sterile  hillside  the  pine  thrives.  The  North  has  its 
fisheries  ;  the  South  its  spices.  Now,  each  wants  what 
it  does  not  possess  ;  and  so  there  is  a  gulf  stream  of 
interchange  upon  whose  current  float  the  heavy- 
laden  keels  of  demand  and  supply.  And  hence  comes 
the  trader  with  his  gigantic  instruments — the  canal, 
the  ship,  the  railroad,  the  telegraph,  the  telephone. 
Obviously,  the  function  of  the  trader,  which  is  the 
supplying  society  with  what  it  wants,  necessitates 
knowledge,  energy  and  foresight.  .A  discriminating 
observer  sagely  remarks  that  "  the  difference  between 
a  merchant  prince  and  a  petty  trader  is,  that  the  latter 
can  work  only  as  he  sees.  He  must  be  able  to  put  his 
hand  on  cask  and  box  and  bale  ;  while  the  former  dis 
dains  to  stop  at  what  he  can  handle,  but  goes  beyond 
and  deals  with  relations  of  things,  and  anticipates  re 
sults,  and  taking  into  account  time,  space,  quality, 
seasons,  latitudes,  races,  he  makes  the  whole  earth 
minister  to  his  need." 

For  it  is  the  effort  of  the  genius  in  trade  to  ascertain 
what  is  or  will  be  wanted,  and  when  and  how  the 
thing  required  may  be  had.  He  must  take  into  con 
sideration  all  the  tastes  and  fluctuations  of  the  market. 
He  must  know  how  to  get  the  best  wares  at  the  least 


?  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

cost.  He  must  master  the  art  of  inducing  customers 
to  buy  largely  and  in  such  shapes  as  that  the  profits 
may  foot  up  fairly  on  his  side  of  the  transaction.  He 
is  obliged,  also,  to  study  prospective  demands — to  pre 
cipitate  himself  into  to-morrow  or  next  year,  and  fore 
see  whether  any  contingencies  in  the  future  will  affect 
the  question  of  quality  and  quantity  in  present  pur 
chases.  All  this  requires  solid  judgment.  Moreover, 
he  must  have  experience  which  has  been  tempered 
by  the  actualities  of  business,  to  supply  ballast  for 
these  far-reaching  calculations,  so  that  his  ventures 
may  not  be  capsized  by  some  financial  flurry  or  white 
squall. 

To  put  it  in  three  words,  then,  a  great  trader  should 
have  this  triune  equipment  :  capital,  the  means  of 
trade — capacity,  the  ability  to  use  the  means — and 
experience,  which  shools  and  directs  capacity. 

With  the  enumeration  of  these  qualities  the  cata 
logue  of  virtues  absolutely  essential  to  the  accumula 
tion  of  money  ceases.  There  are  many  graces  which 
are  not  necessarily  mercantile.  One  may  amass 
wealth  and  yet  be  an  infidel.  He  may  harvest  a  for 
tune  and  yet  be  a  skinflint.  He  may  coin  dollars 
and  nevertheless  have  a  soul  so  infinitesimal  that  a 
homeopathic  pellet  shall  be  like  Jupiter  to  the  moon 
in  contrast.  He  may  shake  "  the  street  "  as  though 
he  were  an  embodied  earthquake  when  his  feet  beat 
the  pavement,  and  remain  a  sensualist.  He  may  con 
trol  the  exchange,  and  personalize  selfishness  six  feet 
high. 

On  the  other  hand  it  is  not  at  all  needful,  in  order 
to  preeminent  mercantile  success,  to  strangle  con 
science  and  murder  benevolence,  anrl  shut  Jesus  Christ 


BUSINESS    SAINTS    AND    SINNERS.  77 

out  of  the  counting  room.  For  while  it  is  true  that 
the  Christian  graces  are  not  essential  elements  of  suc 
cess  in  trade,  and  that  men  may  be  successful  in  a 
dollars  and  cents  point  of  view  without  and  even 
against  Christianity — it  is  also  true  that  there  is 
nothing  in  the  calling  of  the  trader  inconsistent  with 
the  grandest  moral  character,  and  the  most  genial 
personal  traits. 

There  have  always  been,  and  never  more  markedly 
than  to-day,  two  distinct  classes  of  traders,  moving 
side  by  side,  but  easily  distinguishable,  like  the  wa 
ters  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers  at  their 
point  of  junction,  and  for  miles  below.  There 
are  not  wanting  instances  of  astonishing  pecuniary 
success  in  either  class  ;  but  while  the  success  of  the 
one  is  a  private  and  a  public  blessing,  the  success  of 
the  other  is  a  private  and  public  curse. 

They  are  legitimate  traders,  who,  comprehending 
the  underlying  principles  of  business,  set  themselves 
to  earn  a  livelihood,  and,  if  possible,  a  competence,  by 
supplying  the  honest  wants  of  the  community  in  an 
honest  way.  They  buy  at  a  fair  price,  and  sell  at  a 
fair  advance.  They  sell  their  goods  and  not  their 
souls. 

It  is  difficult  to  mark  off  the  limits  of  what  is  legiti 
mate  in  business,  and  say,  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  go, 
and  no  further."  It  is  harder  to  trace  moral  than  it  is 
to  run  geographical  boundaries.  But  it  is  safe  to  assert 
that  a  business  is  only  legitimate  when  it  returns  a  fair 
equivalent  for  every  dollar  it  takes  in,  and  thrives 
through  the  supply,  and  not  by  the  impoverishment 
of  the  public. 

That  merchants  can  succeed  on  these  principles  is 


78  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

proved  by  "  a  great  cloud  of  witnesses  "  present  in  the 
court  of  grateful  remembrance  and  ready  to  testify. 
The  majority  of  our  representative  men  for  a  hundred 
years  have  come  from  the  ranks  of  legitimate  busi 
ness.  A  Boston  merchant's  name  stands  at  the  head 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in  letters  so  large 
that  George  III.  read  it  across  the  Atlantic — without 
stopping  to  put  on  his  spectacles.  A  Charleston  mer 
chant  succeeded  him  as  president  of  the  Continental 
Congress.  A  Philadelphia  merchant  manipulated  the 
difficult  finances  of  the  Revolution.  And  ever  since 
sagacious  and  honorable  traders  have  been  among 
the  most  prominent  and  liberal  benefactors  of  their 
age,  planting  churches,  endowing  colleges,  promoting 
missions,  establishing  libraries,  founding  hospitals, 
opening  art  museums,  and  sowing  broadcast  the 
seeds  of  Christian  civilization  in  the  furrows  opened 
by  the  plow-share  of  opportunity. 

These  men  won  the  wealth  which  enabled  them  to 
bless  themselves  and  their  fellows  by  the  honest  use  of 
their  stock  in  trade — capital,  capacity,  and  experience. 
They  had  the  Napoleonic  faculty — a  sure  glance 
around  and  a  piercing  look  ahead.  Accurate,  methodi 
cal,  careful  of  their  credit  as  a  woman  of  her  honor, 
they  have  known  how  to  conserve  what  their  enter 
prise  won.  Original  and  cautiously  audacious,  they 
gathered  what  others  only  gaped  at.  Their  success 
has  enriched  the  world  as  well  as  themselves.  Their 
example  of  economy  and  industry  and  honesty  has 
been  an  incentive  to  thousands  of  poor  boys. 
Horace  Greeley  never  tired  declaring  that  the  biogra 
phy  of  Franklin  first  inspired  him  to  effort. 

All   hail  !    Hancock,   Lawrence,   Peabody,  Cornell, 


BUSINESS    SAINTS    AND    SINNERS.  79 

Packard,  Farnesworth,  Phelps,  and  Dodge.  You 
have  known  how  to  rise  above  the  dry  shell  and 
empty  dicker  of  mercenary  traffic.  You  have  been 
true  traders,  but  also  true  men.  You  have  fired 
youth  with  honorable  ambition,  built  cities,  promoted 
knowledge,  nursed  art,  and  exemplified  practical 
Christianity.  Best  of  all,  you  have  made  it  plain  that 
preeminent  success  in  business  may  go  hand  in  hand 
with  preeminent  religious  character  and  open-handed 
generosity. 

In  vivid  contrast  with  this  class  stands  the  other. 
For  as  there  are  legitimate  so  are  there  illegitimate 
traders — freebooters  as  really  as  though  they  flew  the 
black  flag,  but  keen  enough  to  swindle  within  the 
statute.  These  are  the  men  who  gamble  in  stocks  on 
Wall  Street.  These  are  the  confidence  operators  who 
get  up  corners  in  wheat  in  Chicago.  These  are  the 
conspirators  against  legitimate  trade  who  use  their 
capital,  capacity,  and  experience  (which  are  often 
great)  as  gamblers  use  loaded  dice  or  transparent 
cards,  for  the  purpose  and  with  the  design  of  over 
reaching  and  plundering  the  honest  market. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  most  perplexing  anomalies  of 
modern  life  and  manners,"  remarks  an  eminent  pub 
licist,  "  that,  while  avowed  and  so  far  honest  gambling 
(if  the  words  may  be  connected)  is  driven  by  public 
opinion  and  the  law  to  seclude  itself  within  carefully 
tiled  doors,  there  to  fool  away  its  hundreds,  perhaps 
its  thousands,  in  secret — discredited,  infamous,  blasted 
by  the  anathemas  of  deserted,  heart-broken  wives 
and  beggared  children,  subject  at  all  times  to  the  fell 
swoop  of  the  police — the  licensed  gambling  of  the 
broker's  board  is  carried  on  in  the  face  of.  the  day  ; 


80  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE 

its  pretended  sales  of  what  it  does  not  own,  its  pre 
tended  purchase  of  what  it  does  not  mean  to  pay 
for,  are  chronicled  in  the  public  prints  to  the  extent 
of  millions  in  the  course  of  the  season,  for  the  cruel 
and  dishonest  purpose  of  frightening  innocent  third 
parties  into  the  ruinous  sacrifice  of  bona  fide  property, 
and  thus  making  a  guilty  profit  out  of  the  public  dis 
tress  and  ruin  of  thousands."  ] 

There  are  men  in  Wall  Street  who  have  barely 
reached  middle  age,  who  were  wholly  unknown  fifteen 
or  twenty  years  ago,  but  who  within  that  interval,  by 
audacious  and  unprincipled  stock  gambling,  have 
made  their  piratical  cruise  net  them  twenty-five  mil 
lions  in  cash  or  its  equivalent. 

Every  such  case  is  a  public  demoralization.  It  puts  a 
bounty  on  fraud.  It  practically  says  to  every  young 
business  man  :  Do  you  wish  to  be  rich  ?  Well,  do  not 
wait  to  climb  up  to  wealth  by  the  old-fashioned  and 
slow  steps  of  industry,  economy,  perseverance,  and  a 
quid  pro  quo,  setting  your  feet  on  those  successive 
rungs  of  the  ladder  at  whose  top  is  fortune  ;  get  into 
the  elevator  of  speculation,  which  is  run  by  a  bright 
boy  named  Sharp  Practice,  and  mount  quickly  and  at 
your  ease.  It  not  only  makes  the  mercantile  world 
dissatisfied  with  slow  and  honest  methods  ;  it  also 
bewitches  the  market  with  an  insane  desire  to  win 
vast  riches — a  moderate  fortune  is  a  bagatelle.  Thus 
the  highwaymen  of  finance, who  alternately  "  bull  "  and 
"bear"  the  market,  upsetting  trade,  disturbing  values, 
and  convulsing  the  business  of  the  world,  make  a  worse 


Edward  Everett,  "Orations  and  Speeches,"  Vol.  III.,  page  556. 


BUSINESS   SAINTS    AND    SINNERS.  8l 

disturbance  in  the  minds  and  consciences  of  those 
they  influence  by  their  bad  example  than  even  in  the 
market  place.  Dick  Turpin  now  occupies  an  office  on 
Wall  Street,  and  has  set  up  as  a  broker.  Captain 
Kyd  has  left  the  sea,  and  at  present  is  a  buccaneer  of 
trade.  But  the  motto  of  these  worthies  is  suspiciously 
like  their  old-time  slogan,  and  identifies  them  in 
stantly  :  "  I  have  the  power,  and,  therefore,  I  have  the 
right — your  money  or  your  life  !  " 

The  career  of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  is  an  illustrious 
example  of  the  legitimate,  and,  by  contrast,  a 
tremendous  impeachment  of  the  illegitimate  in  busi 
ness.  The  case  of  Mr.  Phelps  makes  it  clear  that 
"  Shylock  "  is  not  the  ideal  financier.  And  Mr. 
Dodge  teaches  that  "  Old  Scruggs,"  in  Dickens' 
story,  is  not  the  typical  merchant. 


CHAPTER    V. 

WAYSIDE      HUMANITIES. 

ALTHOUGH  beginning  life  at  the  bottom  of  the  lad 
der,  Mr.  Dodge  commenced  at  once  to  climb.  But, 
of  course,  he  was,  throughout  the  decade  of  which  we 
are  now  treating,  nearer  the  foot  than  the  top,  was 
winning,  and  not  yet  enjoying,  wealth.  Yet,  while 
"  diligent  in  business,"  he  was  likewise  "  fervent  in 
spirit,  serving  the  Lord."  Every  time  he  laid  a  stone 
in  the  foundation  of  his  mercantile  success,  he  was 
scrupulously  careful  to  lay  another,  and  larger  stone, 
in  the  foundation  of  his  piety.  The  two  habits  grew 
in  him  side  by  side  ;  it  were  truer  to  say,  became 
merged  the  one  in  the  other,  and  were  interchangeable. 

Character  cannot  be  extemporized,  any  more  than 
you  can  extemporize  an  oak  tree.  Character  is  a 
slow  growth,  again  like  the  oak.  Whatever  a  man 
becomes  famous  for,  wealth,  power,  meanness,  benevo 
lence,  skill,  conscientiousness,  the  lack  of  conscience, 
no  matter  what,  that  quality  he  has  been  slowly, 
surely  developing  for  years. 

A  friend  who  knew  him  intimately  in  his  later  life, 
says  :  "  Men  of  known  wealth  and  liberality  have 
generally  felt  obliged  to  shield  themselves  from  ap 
peals,  and  not  infrequently  have  become  chilled,  or 
even  hardened,  under  the  constant  pressure  ;  but  I 
have  been  surprised  at  the  patience,  and  even  en- 


WAYSIDE    HUMANITIES.  83 

* 

thusiasm,  with  which  Mr.  Dodge  took  up  each  new 
cause.  He  never  seemed  to  lose  the  freshness  of  his 
interest."  Why?  Because  he  put  habit  behind  his 
benevolence.  From  constant  exercise  it  was  easier 
for  him  to  be  of  service  than  to  refuse  to  serve. 

This  habit  he  commenced  when  he  began  his  busi 
ness  life.  Yes,  before  that,  when  he  became  a  Chris 
tian.  Indeed,  it  has  been  remarked  of  Mr.  Dodge, 
that  his  benevolence  sprang  from  a  two-fold  inspira 
tion,  a  warm  heart  and  religious  principle.  He  was 
a  man  of  sensitive  nature.  His  temperament  was 
sympathetic.  There  was  in  it  a  feminine  element, 
which  often  goes  with  manly  strength.  He  was  quick 
to  see  and  feel  the  sorrows  of  others  as  he  felt  his 
own  ;  nor  could  he  see  them  without  an  impulse  to 
relieve  them.  Thus,  by  a  natural  instinct  he  became 
a  benefactor.  Of  no  man  could  it  be  more  truly  said  : 
"  The  eye  that  saw  him  blessed  him,  and  he  caused 
the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy."  But  religion 
wrought  with  temperament  to  make  him  the  man  he 
was.  Life  to  him  was  no  mere  "  Vanity  Fair,"  in 
which  men  sport  their  follies.  It  was  not  a  thing  to 
be  played  with  or  trifled  with,  it  was  a  probation  on 
which  hung  immortal  destinies.  It  was  a  solemn 
thing  to  live  as  well  as  to  die,  for  over  the  life  that 
now  is  rested  the  shadow  of  Eternity.  He  was  not 
his  own.  He  belonged  to  One  who  had  redeemed 
him  by  His  blood.  He  was  not  placed  in  the  world 
to  enjoy  himself,  but  to  do  good.  His  wealth  was  a 
sacred  trust.  He  was  but  a  steward  to  administer  it, 
and  the  more  there  was  poured  in  his  lap  the  greater 
were  his  obligations.  With  such  a  principle  once 
settled  in  his  mind  and  formed  into  a  habit,  it  was  no 


84  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

effort  for  him  to  give  away  his  money1 — and  what  is 
much  harder,  himself. 

Mr.  Dodge's  conception  of  the  Church  was  that  it 
had  a  two-fold  function.  It  was  a  household  of  the 
faithful,  where  Christians  were  to  be  built  up  and 
established,  and  it  was  also  an  eager  and  sleepless 
center  of  evangelism.  A  cold,  formal  church,  equip 
ped  for  dress-parade  and  not  for  battle,  was  to  him 
an  abomination,  an  organized  lie.  That  which  he 
was  most  intolerant  of  was  those  preachers  who  con 
fuse  those  whom  they  should  confirm,  and  stagger 
those  whom  they  should  establish.  He  loved  to 
repeat  the  saying  of  the  English  Bishop,  Blomfield, 
relating  to  a  certain  verger  (an  official  who  carries  the 
mace  before  the  bishop),  who  said  :  "  Do  you  know,  I 
have  been  verger  of  this  church  fifty  years,  and  though 
I  have  heard  all  the  great  sermons  preached  in  this  place , 
I  am  still  a  Christian." 

Mr.  Dodge  did  not  consult  social  canons  in  his 
church  relations.  He  never  hesitated  to  remove  his 
membership  agreeably  to  convenience  of  neighbor 
hood,  but  chiefly  in  obedience  to  any  call  for  aid. 
Where  he  was  most  needed,  there  he  was  sure  to  be 
found,  working  with  his  sleeves  rolled  up,  however 
exacting  and  exhausting  might  be  the  requirements 
of  business.  He  had  committed  to  memory  and  in 
carnated  the  old  New  England  saying  :  "  He  is  a  poor 
Christian  who  does  not  make  the  world  as  twelve  and 
religion  as  thirteen."  No  man  more  fully  recognized 
the  (relative)  importance  of  business  ;  but  Jesus 


1  The  Rev.  Henry  M.  Field,  D.  D.,  in  an  address  commemora 
tive  of  Mr.  Dodge,  delivered  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1883. 


WAYSIDE    HUMANITIES.  85 

Christ  always  counted   as  at  least  one  more  in  the 
mathematics  of  duty. 

Accordingly,  he  was  connected,  first  and  last,  with 
many  local  churches,  usually  with  the  newest  and  the 
neediest.  He  was  ever  the  right  hand  of  the  pastor — 
a  "  minute  man,"  like  those  sires  of  the  Revolution. 
His  labors  in  and  appreciation  of  the  Sabbath-School 
have  been  referred  to.  With  the  advent  of  the  Sun 
day  he  was  sure  to  be  found  among  the  worshippers 
at  both  services,  and  among  the  children  at  their  as 
sembly.  When  a  mere  lad,  he  had  gone  out  and 
gathered  a  class  from  the  street.  For  years  he  was  a 
teacher,  and  then  a  superintendent  for  thirty-five 
years.  Whether  as  teacher  or  superintendent,  he  car 
ried  into  this  work  his  business  energy  and  prompt 
ness,  as  also  his  genial  and  attractive  manner — that 
is  to  say,  himself.  Two  stories  are  told  of  his  Sun 
day-School  career,  which  are  worth  repeating.  The 
first  is  this  : 

"  A  boy  in  dirt  and  rags  came  one  day  into  his  class.  The 
other  scholars  were  indisposed  to  give  him  a  seat ;  but  their 
teacher  arranged  a  place  in  one  corner,  and  after  school  learned 
from  the  boy  something  of  his  history.  It  was  the  old  sad 
story  of  a  drunken  father  and  a  wretched  home.  Mr.  Dodge 
told  the  boy  to  come  to  his  house  next  Sabbath  morning,  and 
here  he  received  a  suit  of  clothes  that  made  a  marked  differ 
ence  in  his  appearance,  and  also  in  his  reception  at  the  school. 
But  the  following  Sabbath  he  came  again  in  the  same  sad 
plight  as  at  first,  only,  if  possible,  looking  more  woe-begone. 
His  father  had  seized  the  clothes,  and  sold  them  for  rum.  Mr. 
Dodge  provided  another  suit,  but  took  the  precaution  to  have 
his  scholar  come  regularly  to  his  house  before  school,  put  on 
his  Sunday  suit,  and  stop  to  exchange  it  again  before  returning 
home.  The  boy  showed  an  eager  interest  in  the  lessons,  and 


86  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

was  always  present.  When  summer  came,  his  father  took  him 
away  from  the  city  for  several  months  ;  but  on  leaving  he  asked 
for  a  New  Testament,  and  said  he  would  try  to  learn  some 
verses  while  absent.  In  the  fall  he  was  in  his  old  seat  again, 
his  face  beaming  with  joy  at  finding  himself  once  more  in 
school.  As  the  class  was  being  dismissed,  he  asked  his  teacher 
somewhat  diffidently  if  he  would  be  willing  to  wait  a  few 
moments  to  hear  him  recite  a  few  verses.  Mr.  Dodge  gladly 
consented,  and  sat  down,  expecting  the  task  to  be  soon  over. 
1  Where  shall  we  begin  ?  '  '  Oh  !  anywhere,  sir  ;  perhaps  at  the 
first  chapter  of  John.'  For  twenty  minutes  the  boy  continued 
to  recite,  needing  only  an  occasional  prompting  of  a  word.  The 
church  services  were  then  to  begin,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
go  ;  but  Mr.  Dodge  agreed  to  remain  again  next  Sabbath. 
This  was  continued  for  several  weeks,  chapter  after  chapter 
being  repeated  with  wonderful  accuracy.  In  the  course  of 
time  the  family  moved  away,  and  Mr.  Dodge  lost  sight  of  the 
scholar  who  had  so  greatly  interested  him.  Many  years  after,  as 
he  was  sitting  in  his  office,  a  tall,  fine-looking,  well-dressed  young 
man  approached  him,  and,  with  a  moment's  hesitation,  said  : 
1  You  do  not  remember  me  ?  '  '  No ;  I  can  hardly  recall  your  face. ' 

'  Do  you  recollect  a  little  ragged  boy,  named ,  who  came 

into  your  Sunday-School  class  one  Sunday?'  'Certainly  I 
do.'  '  I  am  that  boy.'  And  then,  with  pardonable  pride,  and 
to  Mr.  Dodge's  surprise  and  delight,  he  told  how  he  had  suc 
ceeded  in  obtaining  work  in  a  large  manufacturing  establish 
ment  ;  how  he  gradually  won  his  way  up  to  a  responsible  and 
confidential  position,  and  how,  finally,  the  original  partners 
relinquished  one  branch  of  their  business,  and  handed  it  over 
to  himself  and  one  or  two  others  of  their  principal  assistants. 
He  had  now  become  a  member  and  officer  of  a  church,  a 
teacher  in  the  Sunday-School,  and  had  a  family  of  his  own.  It 
may  be  added  that  since  then  he  has  advanced  still  further  in 
wealth  and  influence." 

The  other  story  is  equally  interesting  and  character 
istic,  and  is  told  by  a  prominent  clergyman  : 


WAYSIDE    HUMANITIES.  87 

"  Many  years  ago  a  lady  of  my  acquaintance,  then  a  young 
girl,  was  a  member  of  the  school  of  which  Mr.  Dodge  was 
superintendent.  One  winter  she  had  two  young  ladies  visiting 
her.  None  of  them  were  Christians,  and  their  thoughts  were 
largely  absorbed  in  a  round  of  social  gayety.  Some  religious 
interest  appeared  in  the  Church  and  Sunday-School,  and  Mr. 
Dodge  astonished  my  friend  by  calling  upon  her  early  one 
morning  for  personal  religious  conversation.  He  was  then 
comparatively  a  young  man,  engaged  in  an  extensive  and  en 
grossing  business,  and  having  also  a  large  family.  His  ex 
planation  of  the  unusual  hour  of  his  visit  was  that  only  on  his 
way  to  and  from  his  office  could  he  find  time  to  see  the  mem 
bers  of  his  Sunday-School.  He  seemed  to  hold  himself  re 
sponsible  for  them  all,  and,  not  leaving  the  work  to  his  teachers, 
he  aimed  to  bring  them,  by  his  personal  labors,  one  by  one  to 
Christ.  His  efforts  at  the  house  of  my  friend  were  to  such 
effect  that  before  the  winter  passed  she  and  both  her  guests 
gave  their  hearts  to  the  Saviour.  More  than  forty  years  after 
wards  this  lady,  speaking  in  her  family  circle  of  Mr.  Dodge, 
narrated  this  experience,  when  to  her  surprise  one  of  her 
brothers  who  was  present,  declared  that  he  had  been  led  to 
Christ  in  the  same  way ;  and  not  only  he,  but  four  other 
brothers,  who  had  been  members  of  the  same  Sabbath-School, 
and  have  long  been  Christian  men,  owed  their  conversion  to  the 
same  agency.  Mr.  Dodge  had  sought  them  out  one  by  one  and 
had  faithfully  followed  them  up  until  he  saw  them  within  the 
fold  of  the  Church." 

Whatever  tended  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  this 
nursery  of  the  Church — a  complete  organization,  a 
well-equipped  library,  a  feeling  of  esprit  de  corps, 
above  everything,  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
—he  prayed  and  worked  for.  And  any  and  every 
effort  to  multiply  these  schools,  whether  made  by  in 
dividuals  or  societies,  such  as  the  "  New  York  Sunday- 
School  Teachers'  Association,"  and  the  "  American 


88  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Sunday-School  Union  "  (with  both  of  which  he  was 
officially  connected),  might  freely  command  his  purse 
and  voice. 

In  his  Church  relations  Mr.  Dodge  never  nursed  his 
dignity — did  not  hesitate  to  be  a  general  utility  man. 
He  filled,  at  one  time  or  another,  every  conceivable 
position — committee-man  to  invite  strangers  to  the 
services,  parish  visitor  of  the  sick  and  aged,  society 
trustee,  gatherer  of  funds  for  church  erection,  laborer 
with  the  impenitent  and  backslidden,  ruling  elder,  offi- 
ciator  at  the  mid-week  meeting,  reader  at  the  sacred 
desk.  Thus  showing  that  in  his  conception  a  divine 
motive 

"  Makes  drudgery  divine  ; 
Who  sweeps  a  room,  as  for  God's  laws, 
Makes  that  and  th'  action  fine." 

Mr.  Dodge  was  a  stout  believer  in  revivals.  Not  in 
spasmodic  emotional  outbursts,  the  explosion  of  mere 
physical  excitement,  lost  in  the  explosion.  But  with 
the  New  Testament  in  his  hands  and  heart,  he  was 
convinced  that  there  come  certain  seasons  when  God 
chooses  specially,  significantly  to  visit  his  people,  and 
savingly  to  call  men  and  women  to  come  out  from  the 
world — seasons  of  Pentecost,  with  apostolic  Peters 
and  converted  multitudes  to  attest  the  divine  reality. 
He  was  well  read  in  the  literature  of  revivals.  He 
knew,  almost  as  a  personal  acquaintance  Wesley  and 
Whitefield,  and 

"  Davenport,  dazzling  Upon  the  crowd, 
Charged  like  summer's  electric  cloud, 
Now  holding  the  listener  as  still  as  death 
With  terrible  warnings  under  breath, 


WAYSIDE    HUMANITIES.  89 

Now  shouting  for  joy,  as  if  he  viewed 

The  vision  of  Heaven's  beatitude  ! 

And  Celtic  Tennant,  his  long  coat  bound 

Like  a  monk's  with  leathern  girdle  round, 

Wild  with  toss  of  unshorn  hair, 

And  wringing  of  hands,  and  eyes  aglare, 

Groaning  under  the  world's  despair  !  " 

Personally,  he  felt  that  he  owed  much  to  scenes  and 
men  like  these.  For  was  it  not  under  the  preaching 
of  Nettleton  that  he  had  been  moved  to  confess  the 
Nazarene  ?  AH  along  his  ancestral  line  had  not  these 
meteors  of  grace  gleamed  across  the  horizon  ?  Were 
not  his  father  and  mother  participators  in  such  scenes, 
and  co-laborers  with  such  evangelists  through  half  a 
century  of  continuous  experience  ?  Did  not  his 
honored  chief  in  business,  the  level-headed  Mr. 
Phelps,  share  in  these  views  ?  These  churches  all 
about  him,  had  they  not  been  once  again  quickened 
out  of  death  by  kindred  visitations  ?  Then,  turning 
once  more  to  the  old  Colonial  records,  he  read  of 
how,  under  Whitefield's  preaching, 

"  A  solemn  fear  on  the  listening  crowd 
Fell  like  the  shadow  of  a  cloud. 
The  sailor  reeling  from  out  the  ships, 
Whose  masts  stood  thick  in  the  river  slips, 
Felt  the  jest  and  the  curse  die  on  his  lips. 
Listened  the  fisherman,  rude  and  hard, 
The  calker  rough  from  the  builder's  yard. 
The  man  of  the  market  left  his  load, 
The  teamster  leaned  on  his  bending  goad. 
The  maiden,  and  youth  beside  her,  felt 
Their  hearts  in  a  closer  union  melt. 
And  saw  the  flowers  of  their  love  in  bloom, 
Down  the  endless  vistas  of  life  to  come. 


90  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Though  ceiled  chambers  of  secret  sin, 
Sudden  and  strong  the  light  shone  in. 
A  guilty  sense  of  his  neighbor's  needs, 
Startled  the  man  of  title-deeds. 
The  trembling  hand  of  the  worldling  shook 
The  dust  of  years  from  the  Holy  Book. 
And  the  Psalms  of  David,  forgotten  long, 
Took  the  place  of  the  scoffer's  song." 

What  wonder  that  he  believed  in  every  fibre  of  his 
being  that  this  was  a  method  of  the  Almighty  ? 

In  1828,  the  year  of  his  marriage,  the  religious  life 
of  New  York  was  at  low  water  mark,  the  tide  of  grace 
was  out.  At  this  time  an  evangelist  named  Finney 
(a  converted  lawyer,  who  had  exchanged  Blackstone 
for  St.  Paul)  was  electrifying  the  State.  A  number 
of  prominent  gentlemen  were  anxious  to  invite  him 
to  New  York.  Referring  to  this,  Mr.  Dodge  says  : 

"  My  father-in-law,  Mr.  Anson  G.  Phelps,  became  deeply  im 
pressed  with  the  feeling  that  a  great  blessing  would  follow  if 
Mr.  Finney  could  be  induced  to  come  to  New  York,  but  found 
that  his  pastor,  Dr.  Gardiner  Spring,  as  well  as  other  prominent 
ministers,  were  doubtful  of  the  propriety  of  introducing  into 
their  pulpits  a  person  about  whom  so  much  was  said  and  such 
difference  of  opinion  existed.  Still,  feeling  it  a  duty,  he  invited 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Beman,  of  Troy,  Dr.  Aiken,  of  Utica,  and  Dr.  Lan 
sing,  of  Auburn,  with  Mr.  Finney,  to  come  to  the  city  for  con 
sultation.  This  was  in  the  fall  of  1828.  The  interviews  con 
tinued  for  several  days  at  Mr.  Phelps's  house,  then  32  Cliff 
Street.  I  shall  never  forget  those  days.  Such  prayers  I  never 
heard  before.  These  men  had  all  come  from  the  influence  of 
recent  wonderful  revivals,  and  were  all  filled  with  the  Spirit. 
Each  afternoon  was  spent  as  a  season  of  special  prayer  for  Di 
vine  direction,  and  several  zealous  Christians,  officers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Churches  in  the  city,  were  invited  to  be  present. 


WAYSIDE    HUMANITIES.  91 

The  remarks  and  prayers  of  these  ministers  impressed  us  all. 
When  it  was  decided  that  Mr.  Finney  should  undertake  a  work 
in  New  York,  Mr.  Phelps  invited  him,  with  his  wife  and  child, 
to  his  own  house.  A  suitable  place  to  open  the  meetings  was 
sought.  The  old  Vandewater  Street  Church-  was  at  the  time 
unoccupied,  and  here  Mr.  Finney  entered  upon  his  labors,  in 
the  early  spring  of  1829,  with  crowded  audiences  and  evident 
effect.  In  the  beginning  of -the  summer  the  church  built  by  the 
Universalists,  at  the  corner  of  Prince  and  Marion  streets,  was  to 
be  sold  under  foreclosure  of  mortgage,  and  though  very  far  up 
town,  it  was  purchased  and  fitted  up.  The  fine  large  basement 
had  never  been  completed,  and  was  used  by  a  neighboring 
brewer  to  store  his  casks.  Turned  into  a  lecture-room,  it  be 
came  one  of  the  most  precious  places  I  ever  enjoyed.  In  this 
church  Mr.  Finney  preached  for  about  a  year  and  a  half. 
Multitudes  flocked  to  hear  him,  and  large  numbers  were  hope 
fully  converted.  In  order  to  provide  for  the  vast  throngs,  and 
also  to  get  farther  down  town,  Arthur  and  Lewis  Tappan, 
David  Hale  and  others,  bought  and  prepared  for  him  the 
Chatham  Street  Tabernacle." 

In  this  building,  which  had  been  a  theatre,  Mr. 
Finney  continued  and  enlarged  his  work  ;  being  suc 
ceeded  by  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Martyn,  an  eloquent  and 
devoted  man,  who  proved  a  worthy  Elisha  to  this 
Elijah,  and  became  himself  the  spiritual  father  of 
rejoicing  thousands. 

The  nature  of  Mr.  Dodge  was  too  Catholic  to  be 
satisfied  with  this  local  evangelism.  As  in  business, 
he  was  forever  reaching  out,  so  in  religion,  like  Bria- 
reus,  he  had  fifty  heads  and  a  hundred  hands.  Away 
back  in  his  boyhood  he  had  become  interested  in  the 
conversion  of  "  the  ends  of  the  earth."  About  the 
middle  of  the  second  decade  of  the  present  century 
a  waif  from  the  Sandwich  Islands  (since  that  time, 


92  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

happily,  more  thoroughly  evangelized  than  New  Eng 
land  itself)  stood  knocking  at  the  door  of  Yale  Col 
lege  for  a  Christian  education.  His  name  was  Oboo- 
kiah.  After  graduation,  he  proposed  to  return  and 
teach  his  hapless  people.  This  Macedonian  cry 
aroused  a  widespread  interest.  On  this  occasion 
young  Dodge  could  say  with  Peter,  "  Silver  and  gold 
have  I  none."  But  he  proposed  to  a  knot  of  youthful 
companions  the  undertaking  a  "  missionary  potato- 
patch."  They  undertook  to  cultivate  a  piece  of  ad 
jacent  swamp  land,  and  their  slender  stock  of  pocket- 
money  was  expended  in  the  purchase  of  seed  pota 
toes.  The  Great  Husbandman  helped  them  to  farm 
that  forlorn  bit  of  ground.  The  season  was  excep 
tionally  dry.  The  neighborhood  crop  was  a  failure. 
The  missionary  patch  alone  bore  fruit — the  result  of 
the  damp  nature  of  the  soil.  The  potatoes  were  sold 
at  a  good  profit,  and  the  money  was  applied  to  Oboo- 
kiah's  education.  He  died  before  earning  his  diploma. 
But  the  interest  thus  awakened  in  Mr.  Dodge's  breast 
never  died.  The  famous  meeting  of  those  three 
students  at  William's  College,  behind  the  Williams- 
town  haystack,  out  of  which  was  born  the  "  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,"  took 
place  near  the  time  of  his  birth.  He  early  identified 
himself  with  this  propaganda — an  identification  which 
was  lifelong.  All  through  these  years  of  small  things 
in  business,  his  hard-earned  dollars  were  largely  ex 
pended  in  sending  the  "  good  tidings  of  great  joy  "  to 
those  who  sat  in  "  the  region  and  shadow  of  death  " — 
just  as,  later,  he  gave  princely  sums  to  the  same 
blessed  cause.  Thus  his  zeal  was  both  microscopic 
and  telescopic.  His  affection  for  his  fellows  began 


WAYSIDE    HUMANITIES.  93 

with  the  case  next  door,  but  it  extended  further  than 
just  round  the  corner. 

To  this  early  period,  also,  belongs  Mr.  Dodge's 
interest  in  and  identification  with  the  temperance 
reform,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers.  In  his 
youth  drinking  habits  were  literally  universal.  Speak 
ing  long  afterwards  of  those  times,  he  says  : 

"  I  call  to  mind  my  sainted  father,  an  elder  in  the  Presby 
terian  Church,  and  a  strict  temperance  man  for  his  time.  When 
building  a  factory  in  Connecticut,  he  insisted,  as  one  of  the  con 
ditions,  that  there  should  be  an  entire  separation  of  the  village 
from  the  surrounding  country,  where  liquor  was  sold,  and  that 
nothing  which  could  intoxicate  should  be  allowed,  except  a 
small  keg  of  brandy  and  a  keg  of  New  England  rum  and  of 
gin,  to  be  dealt  out  by  order  of  the  physicians.  But  the  idea  of 
the  social  disuse  of  everything  intoxicating  never  entered  my 
father's  head,  for  no  one  was  more  particular  in  putting  up  his 
cider  for  the  year.  The  best  apples  were  selected,  and  after 
the  cider  had  stood  for  some  time,  forty  or  fifty  dozens  of  well- 
washed  bottles  were  filled  and  corked — my  brother  and  myself 
having  first  put  in  allspice  and  raisins.  This  cider,  when 
ready,  was  like  sparkling  champagne.  Ministers  of  all  de 
nominations,  who  came  to  the  village  to  preach,  always  stayed 
at  my  father's  house,  and  they  invariably  found  the  sideboard 
supplied  with  the  best  Madeira.  Guests  were  not  asked 
whether  they  would  take  something,  but  what  would  they 
take — brandy,  wine,  or  this  sparkling  cider.  My  father,  I  say, 
was  a  thoroughgoing  temperance  man  for  those  days — but  that 
was  sixty  years  ago.  He  lived  long  enough  to  become  one  o£ 
the  strongest  advocates  of  total  abstinence." 

The  portrait  of  a  drunkard  is  not  a  pleasing  picture. 
The  person  of  tf  e  sot  is  even  more  objectionable. 
Both  the  portrait  and  the  person  survive,  but  no  lon 
ger  without  a  protest  or  any  effort  after  betterment. 


94  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

When  the  evil  was  once  recognized  and  sized,  the 
meeting-houses  began  to  thunder  with  anti-drinking 
blasts.  The  social,  physical,  moral  bearings  of  the 
terrific  habit  were  set  forth  in  words  that  fell  like 
burning  coals  on  the  heart  and  conscience  of  the  com 
munity.  Farmers  were  exhorted  to  knock  in  the  head 
of  the  immemorial  hogshead  of  rum  that  swashed  in 
the  cellar.  Ministers  were  warned  to  set  the  example 
of  temperance.  Decanters  were  removed  from  their 
old  ostentatious  place  on  the  side-board.  The  traffic 
was  arraigned  as  a  felon,  and  tried,  sentenced  and 
branded  at  the  bar  of  an  aroused  public  sentiment. 
Giants  of  reform  like  Dwight,  Nott,  Lyman  Beecher, 
Ladd,  Marsh,  fell  upon  and  smote  the  iniquity  hip  and 
thigh.  Wherever  a  Moses  appeared,  Mr.  Dodge,  like 
Aaron  or  Hur,  held  up  his  hands.  A  merchant,  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  imperil  his  mercantile  prospects  by  the 
unpopular  advocacy.  A  Christian,  he  bore  without 
flinching  the  epithet,  "  fanatic,"  hurled  at  him  like  a 
missile  from  conservative  pulpits.  He  put  his  prac 
tice  on  the  side  of  his  principles  and  became  a  total 
abstainer.  All  this  required  moral  courage  of  the 
rarest  kind  in  those  early  days  of  reform — especially 
in  the  circles  in  which  he  moved  ;  and  long  continued 
to  test  and  decorate  his  Christian  manhood.  Sensi 
tive  as  a  woman,  and  singularly  peace-loving,  this  in 
cessant  warfare,  utterly  reckless  and  relentless  on  the 
part  of  the  rummies  of  the  church  and  state,  was  a 
great  trial  to  Mr.  Dodge.  Some  natures  joyed  in  the 
conflict — were  fighters  from  choice.  He  enlisted  and 
remained  in  the  battle  from  sheer  conviction,  saying 
with  Luther,  at  Worms  :  "  God  help  me,  here  I  must 
stand  ;  I  can  do  nothing  else."  Nevertheless,  his  ac- 


WAYSIDE    HUMANITIES.  95 

tivity  here,  as  everywhere  else,  was  unceasing.  He 
greeted  with  enthusiasm,  and  aided  to  the  utmost  of 
his  power,  in  the  formation  of  "  Juvenile  Societies," 
"  Cold-water  Armies,"  and  "  Bands  of  Hope  "  ;  for, 
again,  like  a  woman,  he  mothered  all  children,  and, 
recognizing  the  truth  that  they  represent  the  to-mor 
row  of  life,  he  held  that  the  surest  way  to  conquer 
intemperance  was  by  rooting  and  grounding  the  young 
in  temperance.  He  knew,  none  better,  that  God  can 
not  make  saints  at  the  adult  end  as  fast  as  the  devil 
can  breed  sinners  at  the  childhood  end — another  rea 
son  why  he  valued  Sunday-Schools.  All  the  same  he 
wrorked  among  and  for  full-grown  offenders.  When 
ever  any  slave  of  appetite  addressed  himself  to  the 
fearful  work  of  self-recuperation  and  after  a  death- 
struggle  broke  out  of  the  hell  of  intoxication,  no  hand 
was  more  warmly  extended  in  congratulation  than  his, 
and  no  purse  was  more  generously  opened  to  help  the 
new  freeman  towards  a  career.  And  the  various 
"  Orders,"  "  Leagues,"  "  Unions,"  which  sprang  up 
successively  and  followed  one  another  like  the  ghosts 
in  "  Macbeth,"  found  in  him  their  stanchest  friend. 
He  did  not  always  approbate  their  methods  ;  he  never 
failed  to  commend  their  purpose.  Thus  he  stood,  like 
the  angel  Abdiel,  "  faithful  among  the  faithless." 

Mr.  Dodge's  connection  with  the  great  religious 
societies,  to  which  he  gave,  first  and  last,  so  much 
time  and  money,  dates  back,  in  its  beginning,  to  this 
decade  of  his  life.  His  name  appears  as  a  director  of 
the  "  New  York  City  Mission  "  (then  a  child,  but  now 
grown  to  stalwart  manhood),  at  its  organization  in 
1827.  He  helped  to  start  the  "American  Tract 
Society  " — an  unsectarian  agency  which  has  done  an. 


96  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

endless  work  for  good,  and  soon  became  an  officer. 
He  was  a  manager  of  the  "  American  Bible  Society," 
almost  from  the  commencement.  Nor,  in  his  busiest 
hours,  did  he  ever  refuse  to  give  his  presence  as  well 
as  his  means  to  these  agencies.  It  was  a  conviction 
of  his  that  one  has  no  right  to  buy  a  substitute,  but  is 
called  to  do  personal  work  in  the  ranks  of  righteous 
ness.  And  his  convictions  he  embodied  in  his  conduct. 

He  was  an  easy  and  rapid  writer.  Never  was  there 
a  greater  believer  in  pen  and  ink.  This,  too,  he  illus 
trated  by  his  practice.  He  began,  when  a  young  man, 
to  write  letters  to  his  friends  and  acquaintances  on 
whatever  subject  was  upon  his  mind  or  near  his  heart 
— religion,  temperance,  benevolence.  And  as  his  per 
sonality  was  behind  every  word,  every  word  told. 
Mind  and  heart  both  spoke,  and  powerfully.  His 
letters,  if  collected,  would  make  volumes  ;  and  many 
of  these  have  been  written  in  other  life-histories. 

An  incessant  worker  in  the  haunts  of  business  and 
for  the  good  of  his  fellows,  could  any  example  be 
more  inspiring?  He  made  religion  of  business  and 
business  of  religion. 

An  acquaintance  of  the  late  George  Eliot,  in  one  of 
the  English  Reviews,  relates  how,  during  a  conversa 
tion  with  her  not  long  before  her  death,  a  costly  bit 
of  Sevres  china  toppled  on  the  mantel.  Quickly  and 
unconsciously  she  put  out  her  hand  and  caught  it. 
"I  hope,"  remarked  the  foremost  of  female  novelists, 
"  that  the  time  will  come  when  we  shall  hold  up  the 
man  or  woman  who  begins  to  fall,  as  instinctively,  as 
naturally,  as  we  arrest  a  piece  of  toppling  bric-a-brac." 
In  the  case  of  Mr.  Dodge,  that  time  had  come,  and  he 
never  lost  the  habit. 


FOURTH     DECADE 


(l835-45.      JET    30-40.) 


CHAPTER    I. 

OPPORTUNITY. 

"  America,"  says  Emerson,  "  is  another  name  for 
opportunity."  This  was  truer  in  1835  than  it  is 
to-day.  There  was  then  only  a  thin  fringe  of  popu 
lation  stretching  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Maine 
to  the  Carolinas,  and  down  the  Gulf  to  Louisiana. 
The  vast  interior  was  comparatively  virgin  soil.  And 
it  was  rich  beyond  imagination  ;  bursting  with 
minerals  and  coated  with  a  primeval  forest.  Those 
minerals  hidden  in  the  ground,  and  those  forests 
coating  the  earth,  raised  their  voices  and  issued  an 
invitation.  "  Come,"  said  the  minerals,  "  and  dig  us 
out  into  usefulness.  Coal  and  iron  and  metals,  we 
wait  to  reward  the  hands  that  find  us."  "  Come,"  said 
the  forests,  "  and  hew  us  down.  Float  us  to  the  saw 
mill,  and  fashion  us  into  keels  that  shall  conquer  the 
turbulent  ocean,  and  into  roof-trees  that  may  shelter 
strong  men  and  lovely  women  and  romping  children." 
The  keen  ear  of  Mr.  Dodge  heard  those  voices.  His 
quick  eye  saw  the  double  chance,  the  chance  for 
wealth  and  the  chance  for  increased  comfort  in  life. 
It  was  precisely  the  call  that  was  certain  to  meet  with 
a  response  from  him. 

While  he  was  yet  in  the  dry  goods  trade,  he  began 
to  buy  timber  lands.  Pennsylvania  was  the  scene  of 
his  earliest  operations,  where  (partly  in  liquidation 


100  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

of  a  debt)  he  came  into  possession  of  a  thousand  acres 
on  Pine  Creek,  a  tract  which  is  still  held  by  his  heirs. 
As  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co., 
his  available  means  were  largely  increased.  Acting 
for  the  house,  he  invested  in  these  wooded  sections 
until  he  became  the  part  proprietor  of  whole  counties. 
He  would  back  up  his  machinery  against  a  forest  and 
turn  out  a  village,  as  Aladdin  might  wave  his  magic 
lamp  in  the  "  Arabian  Nights "  and  extemporize  a 
castle. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Campbell,  who  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Dodge  for  nearly  forty  years,  gives  an  interesting  ac 
count  of  one  of  these  transactions  • 

"  In  1835  his  attention  was  called  by  an  advertisement  to  the 
large  and  valuable  tracts  of  land  held  in  Tioga  County,  Pa. 
The  owners  were  somewhat  embarrassed,  and  after  corres 
pondence  proposed  to  sell  him  one-half  of  all  their  lands  and 
mills.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  June,  1836,  to  see  the 
property,  arriving  Saturday  evening  at  Williamsport,  then  a 
town  having  a  population  of  only  one  thousand.  Early  Sunday 
morning  (as  was  his  wont),  he  inquired  for  the  church  and 
Sunday-School.  He  attended  service  in  the  morning,  and  at 
the  request  of  the  superintendent,  addressed  the  school  in  the 
afternoon,  and  in  the  evening  was  asked  to  speak  to  the  people 
in  the  one  little  church  of  the  place.  Monday  morning  the 
county  commissioner's  clerk  called  upon  him,  and  during  the 
interview  received  from  Mr.  Dodge  authority  to  buy  in  for 
him  any  timber-lands  to  be  sold  for  taxes.  The  next  morning 
Mr.  Dodge  started  on  horseback  for  Manchester,  Tioga 
County,  sixty-five  miles  distant." 

Later,  on  behalf  of  his  firm,  Mr.  Dodge  made 
further  purchases  in  half  a  dozen  other  counties  in 
Pennsylvania.  Later  still,  he  extended  these  opera- 


OPPORTUNITY.  IOI 

tions  into  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Texas,  and  be 
came  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  successful  of 
American  lumbermen. 

"  Probably,"  remarks  his  son,  D.  Stuart  Dodge, 
"  few  men,  even  among  those  exclusively  engaged  in 
the  lumber  trade,  were  more  widely  and  practically 
familiar  with  the  varied  features  of  this  great  in 
dustry.  Mr.  Dodge  took  an  intelligent  and  en 
thusiastic  interest  in  every  detail,  from  the  first 
selection  of  suitable  lands,  the  felling  of  trees,  the 
driving  of  the  logs,  the  sawing,  piling,  and  distribu 
tion  of  the  lumber,  to  the  final  sale  in  the  best  mar 
kets.  He  was  constantly  reading  on  the  subject,  and 
carefully  watching  production  and  prices.  He  knew, 
too,  better  than  most  men,  what  interminable  anxiety 
there  can  be  over  titles,  taxes,  trespasses,  fires,  floods 
and  droughts." 

At  the  same  time  the  young  merchant  turned  his 
attention  to  the  development  of  the  coal  and  iron  in 
terests  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  founder  of  the 
"  Lackawanna  Iron  and  Coal  Company,"  and  remained, 
until  his  death,  one  of  its  most  active  directors. 
Those  imprisoned  minerals  had  found  a  deliverer. 
Henceforth  they  were  to  figure,  and  with  ever  increas 
ing  prominence,  as  chief  agents  in  the  development 
of  civilization  and  the  promotion  of  human  comfort 
and  convenience.  Without  wood,  coal,  iron,  and 
without  these  accessible  and  in  the  market,  where 
would  America  be  to-day?  In  the  rear  instead  of  in 
the  van.  These  elements  at  everybody's  service,  have 
made  the  United  States  what  they  are.  Do  we  not 
owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  pioneers  who  dragged 
them  into  common  sight  and  use  ? 


IO2  WILLIAM     K.      DODGE. 

Through  these  times  of  outreach  and  unfolding 
business  was  everywhere  hampered  by  the  difficulty 
of  inter-communication  and  the  slowness  of  it.1  This 
impediment  was  about  to  be  removed,  and  the  last 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  marketing  the  raw  material 
with  which  the  continent  abounded  to  be  overcome. 
The  little  stretch  of  railroad  from  Albany  to  Schenec- 
tady  (twenty-three  miles),  opened  in  1830,  was  like 
an  appetizer  before  b  ^eakfast.  Its  success  was 
demonstratior. .  In  1832  the  Legislature  of  New  York 
granted  a  charter  to  the  Erie  Railroad.  For  several 
years  little  o  nothing  was  done  under  it.  There  was 
a  general  skepticism  touching  the  feasibility  of  land 
locomotion  by  steam — as,  just  previously,  there  had 
been  in  regard  to  steamboats.  These  latter  were  now 
puffing  to  and  fro  upon  the  Hudson  and  the  Long 
Island  Sound — the  great  Atlantic  still  stretched  away 
unbridged  by  steam,  making  Europe  and  America 
antipodal.  It  was  in  1836  that  Dr.  Lardner  published 
his  famous  pamphlet  in  London,  proving  the  impossi 
bility  of  crossing  the  ocean  by  steam — and  the  book 
came  to  this  country  in  one  of  the  first  steamers  that 
ever  crossed  ! 

Read  history  backward,  and  the  misconceptions 
and  prejudices  relating  to  the  employment  and  use 
fulness  of  steam,  the  beneficent  giant  who  has  ac 
complished  the  wonders  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
ssem  incredible.  When  George  Stephenson,  the  Eng 
lish  engineer,  decided  to  put  a  locomotive  on  the 
track  between  Manchester  and  Liverpool  (this  was  in 
1828),  how  the  scheme  was  derided  and  opposed — 


1  See  Chapter  "  On  Old  New  York." 


OPPORTUNITY.  103 

every  step  a  battle  !  One  man  said  that  if  the  loco 
motive  was  permitted  to  run  the  hens  would  lay  no 
more  eggs.  Another  gravely  maintained  that  the 
cowrs  would  give  no  more  milk.  A  third  showed  how 
and  why  the  partridges  would  all  die — which  brought 
every  sportsman  in  England  over  to  the  opposition. 
A  fourth  wiseacre  offered  to  eat  the  boiler  of  the  first 
locomotive  which  should  make  twelve  miles  an  hour, 
but  he  only  had  to  eat  his  words  !  A  member  of 
Parliament,  who  was  in  Stephenson's  interest,  button 
holed  him  one  morning  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Abbey,  and  pointing  to  the  historic  pile,  said  : 
"  Stephenson,  if  you  want  a  niche  in  there  by-and- 
bye,  you  must  reduce  your  proposed  speed  from 
twelve  miles  an  hour,  wrhich  really  is  absurd,  to  some 
thing  within  reason,  say  five  or  six  ;  otherwise  you 
will  upset  the  whole  project  in  the  House  of  Com 
mons." 

Referring  to  this  passage  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Stephen- 
son  years  afterward,  Mr.  Dodge  said  :  "  The  last  time 
I  rode  from  London  to  Oxford,  I  looked  at  my  watch 
when  we  had  fifty-three  miles  to  go,  and  we  covered 
the  distance  in  exactly  fifty  minutes."  Likely  enough 
some  of  the  quidnuncs  who  ridiculed  twelve  miles  an 
hour  sat  cosily  in  that  very  car,  thinking  :  "  We  are  a 
progressive  people.  Doesn't  the  British  lion  snort  ? 
Bless  me,  Mr.  Stephenson,  how  your  boots  shine  !  " 
If  our  foresight  were  as  good  as  our  hindsight,  how 
wise  we  would  all  be  !  All  the  more  credit  to  the 
seers  whose  intelligence  flashes  into  the  darkness  of 
the  future  and  kindles  it. 

Well,  the  objections  which  assailed  the  English  ex 
periment  likewise  assailed  the  American.  Mr.  Dodge 


104  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

was  one  of  the  enlightened  and  prophetic  few  who 
believed  in  the  limitless  possibilities  of  steam.  He 
brought  down  upon  himself  no  little  ridicule,  and 
seriously  imperilled  his  reputation  for  common  sense 
by  what  were  termed  his  "  extravagant  notions  "  con 
cerning  railroads.  You  see,  he  wanted  to  get  those 
timber  fields,  those  coal  mines,  those  iron  ores,  into 
direct  and  rapid  connection  with  his  counting-room 
there  on  Cliff  Street  in  New  York  City.  He  was  sure 
that  this  pale  vapor  called  steam  could  and  would 
effect  this — would  annihilate  time  and  distance,  and 
bring  the  fruits  of  the  frontier  fresh  into  the  markets 
every  morning.  Hence,  he  threw  himself,  with  tire 
less  energy,  into  the  work  of  pushing  through  the 
Erie  Railroad.  Listen  to  him  : 

"  There  was  not  a  mile  of  railroad  constructed  when  I  com 
menced  business  in  1827.  The  first  experiment  was  the  twenty- 
three  miles  from  Albany  to  Schenectady,  opened  in  1830.  In 
1840,  there  were  2,800  miles  of  railway;  in  1850,  9,000;  in- 
1860,  30,000;  in  1870,  53,000;  and  at  the  close  of  1880,  nearly 
100,000  miles. 

"  I  was  familiar  with  the  difficulties  connected  with  the  early 
construction  of  the  Erie  road,  having  been  in  its  direction  for 
nearly  twelve  years.  The  great  effort  was  to  secure  subscrip 
tions  for  three  millions  to  the  stock,  in  which  case  the  State 
would  take  a  second  mortgage  for  the  three  millions  it  had  ad 
vanced.  The  road  then  was  finished  only  to  Goshen,  Orange 
County.  Public  meetings  were  held,  committees  of  merchants 
went  from  store  to  store  for  subscriptions,  for  the  road  at  that 
time  was  in  the  hands  of  the  merchants,  who  felt  that  a  direct 
connection  with  the  lakes  was  absolutely  necessary  to  secure  to 
New  York  the  business  of  the  growing  West.  When  at  last 
it  was  completed  to  Dunkirk,  by  the  persevering  energy  of 
Benjamin  Loder  and  his  associate  merchants,  the  opening  was 


OPPORTUNITY.  105 

celebrated  by  a  large  party  of  citizens  and  invited  guests,  among 
whom  were  the  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  and  mem 
bers  of  the  Cabinet,  and  many  distinguished  members  of  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives — statesmen  like  Daniel 
Webster  and  Henry  Clay.  It  was  an  event  of  vast  interest  to 
the  city  and  to  the  West.  The  road  was  completed  for  a  sum, 
which,  compared  with  its  present  cost,  seems  to  have  been  im 
possible.  What  our  city  and  country  owe  to  the  vast  railroad 
extension,  and  the  expenditure  of  nearly  five  thousand  millions, 
it  is  as  impossible  to  estimate  as  to  conceive  of  the  influence  of 
the  two  hundred  thousand  miles  which,  I  doubt  not,  will  be 
•constructed  before  the  close  of  the  century." 

In  this  modest  recital  Mr.  Dodge  does  not  speak  of 
his  own  prominence  in  the  early  affairs  of  Erie  ;  all 
the  more  does  it  behoove  his  biographer  to  emphasize 
it.  He  went  from  store  to  store  soliciting  subscrip 
tions,  pointing  out  the  advantages  to  the  city,  the 
State,  the  nation,  which  must  inevitably  follow  the 
completion  of  the  railroad.  At  one  of  the  large 
gatherings  of  merchants,  where  much  despondency 
prevailed,  he  sprang  upon  a  chair  and,  in  an  en 
thusiastic  but  lucid  speech,  changed  the  current  of 
feeling.  The  next  morning,  without  any  prior  notice, 
he  was  elected  a  director,  a  result  due  to  his  mental 
grasp  and  pluck  as  displayed  in  this  impromtu 
harangue.  When  the  great  iron  highway  was  com 
pleted,  on  the  occasion  above  alluded  to,  he  was  dele 
gated  to  respond  to  the  welcome  tendered  to  the 
directors  and  their  guests,  which  he  did  in  an  address 
full  of  feeling.  Among  other  things,  he  said  : 

"  I  am  utterly  at  loss  to  find  words  to  express  my  own  feel 
ings,  much  less  to  give  vent  to  the  deep  emotions  of  my  as 
sociates,  as  we  begin  to  realize  the  fact  that  we  are  at  the 


106  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

end  of  our  long  and  toilsome  journey,  that  our  eyes  look  out 
upon  this  mighty  lake  and  backwards  over  a  continuous  line 
of  rail  to  our  city  homes.  Oh,  yes !  It  is  no  fiction.  We 
have  reached  the  goal  of  our  hopes.  And  now,  as  we  look 
back  upon  the  days  of  darknesss,  disappointment  and  toil, 
and  they  were  many,  let  us  to-day  forget  them  all  in  our  re 
joicing  that  over  all  we  have  triumphed,  and  that  at  last  this 
arduous  work  has  been  accomplished.  The  Empire  City,  and 
the  great  West,  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  inland  seas,  are 
by  this  ligature  of  iron  made  one. 

"  Who  will  attempt  to  predict  the  future  of  this  road  ? 
Although  my  friends  have  called  me  crazy  in  my  estimates 
of  its  growth,  I  feel  to-day  that  if  I  am  spared  to  make 
fresh  estimates  ten  years  hence,  I  shall  wonder  at  my  present 
tame  views  and  stinted  calculations. 

"  What  mind  can  keep  pace  with  the  progress  of  this 
country  ?  What  was  Buffalo,  or  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Cincin 
nati,  or  St.  Louis,  in  1832,  when  this  road  was  chartered  ? 
Where  were  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  and  Minnesota  ?  Where  Cali 
fornia  and  Oregon  ?  Just  in  proportion  as  this  country  ex 
pands,  and  its  foreign  and  domestic  commerce  develops,  will 
the  business  of  this  road  increase.  Who  can  compute  its 
income  and  importance  as  years  go  on  ?  " 

In  the  Spring  of  1837,  an  event  happened  which 
was  destined  to  change  the  mode  of  navigation,  as  the 
railroad  did  the  method  of  communication  on  land. 
Let  Mr.  Dodge  describe  this  : 

"  The  little  steamer  '  Sirius '  suddenly  made  its  appear 
ance  in  our  harbor  from  Liverpool,  .the  first  which  had  ever 
crossed  the  Atlantic,1  and  thousands  of  our  citizens  crowded 


1  Mr.  Dodge  is  mistaken.  The  American  steamer  "  Savannah," 
in  1819,  made  the  first  voyage  from  America  to  Europe  in  twenty- 
two  days,  during  eighteen  of  which  she  used  her  steam  power. 
Though  she  settled  the  mooted  question  of  the  possibility  of  ocean 


OPPORTUNITY.  107 

to  see  her.  She  was  soon  followed  by  the  '  Great  Western,' 
Captain  Matthews,  which  became  so  popular  and  success 
ful.  Many  still  doubted  if  steamships  could  be  made  safe  or 
run  profitably,  but  the  almost  daily  arrival  and,  sailing  of  the 
splendid  steamers  of  this  day,  from  and  to  all  the  ports  of  Eu 
rope,  and  the  voyages  along  our  entire  coast  have  long 
since  settled  the  question.  In  my  early  business  life*  it  was 
a  very  uncommon  thing  for  persons  to  cross  the  ocean,  ex 
cept  for  business,  and  it  was  still  less  common  for  those 
from  the  other  side  to  visit  us.  There  are  more  crossing 
now  in  a  week  than  then  sailed  in  a  year." 

Naturally,  and  justly,  Mr.  Dodge's  interest  in  and 
intimate  connection  with  these  (then)  infant  iron  and 
coal  industries,  and  these  (since)  world-transforming 
railroads  and  steamships  mightily  advanced  his  mer 
cantile  standing  and  increased  his  wealth.  If  it  be 
true,  as  Dryden  sings,  that 

"  None  but  the  brave  deserve  the  fair," 

then  is  it  not  seemly  that  Fortune  (who  is  sometimes 
thought  fickle)  should  surrender  her  hand  and  heart 
into  the  safe-keeping  of  the  prevoyant  man  who  fore 
sees  her  advent,  admires  her  charms  in  advance  of 
sight,  and  enters  unhesitatingly  as  the  door  of  oppor 
tunity  is  opened  ? 

Yes,  those  were  stirring  times,  the  meeting-place  of 
the  old  and  new  methods,  illustrating  Scott's  lines  : 
"  I  saw  the  new  moon  late  yestereen, 
Wi'  the  auld  moon  in  her  arms." 


navigation  by  steam,  the  world  was  long  in  learning  the  importance 
of  her  achievement.  It  was  not  till  1838  that  her  achievement  was 
emulated  in  earnest  by  other  vessels.  Then  the  "  Sirius"  and 
"  Great  Western  "  crossed  the  Atlantic,  but  made  no  better  time. 


CHAPTER    II. 

DIFFICULTIES. 

The  year  1835  ended  disastrously  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  How  ?  Why  ?  Mr.  Dodge  shall  tell  us  : 

"  In  December  the  great  fire  occurred,  and  those  who  were 
aiding  to  stay  its  progress  can  never  forget  it.  The  night  was 
intensely  cold,  the  thermometer  lower  than  for  many  years,  the 

wind  high,  and  the  fire — commencing  in  some  old  buildings 

spread  rapidly  ;  the  water  froze  in  the  hose  and  the  old  hand- 
engines  were  almost  useless ;  the  result  was  the  destruction  of 
six  hundred  and  forty-eight  buildings,  including  the  Exchange 
and  many  banks  in  Wall  Street,  and  the  laying  prostrate  of  all 
that  part  of  the  city  from  Water  Street,  up  Wall,  to  Broad 
Street,  including  South  William,  Exchange,  Pearl,  Water, 
South  and  Front,  and  property  estimated  at  twenty-eight  mil 
lion  dollars.  Every  insurance  company  in  the  city  was  sup 
posed  to  be  ruined,  except  one  or  two  up-town,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  city  was  left  without  insurance.  Business  was  sus 
pended  ;  none  knew  where  they  stood  or  who  could  be  trusted  ; 
but  the  best  of  feeling  prevailed,  and  soon  the  elasticity  of  our 
people  began  to  manifest  itself,  and  the  old  foundations  were 
removed,  and  new  blocks  of  buildings  sprung  up  like  magic. 
Before  the  close  of  1836  nearly  all  was  rebuilt,  and  the  streets 
looked  better  than  before  the  fire.  However,  from  that  date 
the  dry  goods  business  left  Pearl  Street,  was  driven  out  of 
the  burned  district  never  to  return,  and  since  has  been  gradu 
ally  working  up-town,  and  now  has  no  one  street  to  mark  its 
locality. 

"  A  stirring  and  brave  reply  was  made  to  me  by  one  of  our 


DIFFICULTIES.  109 

old  dry  goods  importers,  Mr.  James  Lee,  who  in  a  single 
night  had  lost  much  of  the  hard  earnings  of  years.  As  I  saw 
him,  covered  with  dirt,  the  day  after  the  fire,  trying  with  a  gang 
of  men  to  dig  out  his  iron  safe,  I  said  :  '  Well,  this  is  very 
hard.'  '  Yes,'  said  he,  straightening  himself  up,  '  but,  Dodge, 
thank  God,  he  has  left  me  my  wife  and  children,  and  these 
hands  can  support  them.' 

"  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  1836  was  a  year  of  vast  trade  and 
expansion.  All  kinds  of  new  projects  for  securing  hasty  for 
tunes  were  introduced,  and  before  the  capital  of  the  city  had 
recovered  from  the  losses  of  the  fire,  its  credit  was  extended 
and  speculation  ran  wild  ;  everything  was  advancing,  and  the 
people  were  intoxicated  with  their  many  schemes,  but  in 
1837  the  bubble  burst  and  the  wide-spread  ruin  followed, 
which  has  made  that  year  one  of  the  long  to  be  remembered 
epochs  of  New  York." 

Notwithstanding  the  depression  caused  by  the  fire 
of  '35,  throughout  the  "  wild  cat  "  year  of  '36,  and 
when  the  panic  of  '37  rumbled  like  an  earthquake  and 
shook  down  thousands  of  long-established  firms,  the 
house  of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  continued  to  prosper. 
This  was  not  the  result  of  chance.  It  was  due  to  the 
business  sagacity  of  Messrs.  Phelps  and  Dodge— to 
their  fair  and  square  dealing,  which  attracted  and  re 
tained  customers  ;  to  their  knowledge  of  the  market, 
which  they  studied  hour  by  hour  ;  to  their  experi 
enced  talent  in  preparing  for  and  bravely  meeting 
those  crises  which  are  never  long  in  coming.  Of 
course,  losses  were  intermingled  with  their  gains ;  for 
they  were  not  infallible,  and  were  traders  in  America 
and  not  in  Utopia.  But  each  annual  account  of  stock 
showed  an  increased  balance  in  their  favor.  Yet,  for 
them,  as  for  others,  there  was  no  lack  of  discourage 
ments.  One  of  these  originated  in  the  chaotic  condi- 


110  WILLIAM    E.     UODGE. 

tion  of  the  currency.  It  was  a  financial  Joseph's  coat 
of  many  colors.  The  United  States  Bank  was  just 
dead.  Its  funeral,  like  a  red  republican  funeral  in 
Paris,  was  attended  by  one  party  (the  Democratic) 
with  shouts  of  exultation  as  a  national  deliverance, 
and  by  the  other  party  (the  Whig)  with  wringing  of 
hands  and  wringing  of  handkerchiefs  as  a  national  be 
reavement.  Andrew  Jackson  executed  a  war-dance 
in  front  of  the  coffin.  Webster,  Clay  and  Calhoun 
wept  in  unwonted  unison  over  the  corpse. 

The  United  States  Bank  had  originated  in  the  pres 
cient  brain  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  on  whose  recom 
mendation  it  was  chartered  by  Congress  for  twenty 
years,  in  1790 — an  act  approved  by  Washington.  Its 
object  was  the  establishment  of  a  uniform  currency. 
Its  pattern  was  the  Bank  of  England,  authorized  in 
1694,  and  the  most  tremendous  engine  in  the  history 
of  finance  for  the  management  of  money.  The  bank 
answered  its  end.  It  raised  the  credit  of  a  bankrupt 
government,  and  inspired  confidence  in  the  commer 
cial  world.  Ten  years  later  the  Bank  of  France  was 
established,  in  imitation  of  the  English  and  American 
models.  In  1810  the  charter  expired.  This  country 
was  on  the  eve  of  war  with  Great  Britain.  In  the  ex 
citement  of  the  hour,  the  bank  was  suffered  to 
lapse.  Peace  found  the  finances  in  much  the  same 
state  in  which  they  were  left  at  the  close  of  the  Revolu 
tion.  To  aid  in  rectifying  these  disorders,  Congress 
reorganized  the  defunct  bank.  This  was  in  1817. 
The  charter  was  again  limited  to  twenty  years,  expir 
ing  March  3d,  1836.  The  capital  of  the  first  bank 
was  $10,000,000,  of  which  the  government  took 
$2,000,000,  the  rest  being  held  by  individuals.  The 


DIFFICULTIES.  Ill 

capital  of  the  second  bank  was  $37,000,000,  of  which 
the  government  subscribed  $7,000,000,  payable  in  coin 
or  in  stocks  of  the  United  States,  bearing  interest  at  five 
per  cent,  and  redeemable  at  the  pleasure  of  Congress. 
Owing  to  mismanagement,  the  bank  (in  1818)  came 
near  bankruptcy.  But  it  recovered,  and  when  Gen 
eral  Jackson  was  elected  to  the  Presidency  for  a 
second  term,  in  1832,  came  before  Congress  with  the 
confident  expectation  of  having  its  charter  renewed. 
The  renewal  was  voted.  The  President  vetoed  the 
bill.  This  was  in  1833.  The  years  that  followed  are 
memorable.  Speaking  of  this  and  contrasting  the 
past  with  the  present,  Mr.  Dodge  once  said  : 

"  In  nothing  is  the  change  more  marked  than  between  the 
currency  used  during  my  early  business  life  and  that  now  in  cir 
culation.  General  Jackson  had  put  his  foot  on  the  United 
States  Bank,  and  we  had  nothing  but  banks  chartered  by  the 
different  States.  Many  of  these  were  owned  and  controlled 
by  individuals,  the  system  being  different  in  almost  every 
State.  Some  had  careful  restrictions,  others  hardly  any. 
Banks  were  chartered  with  capitals  as  small  as  $50,000, 
with  no  limit  to  their  issues  ;  and  their  great  object  was  to 
get  a  location  so  far  from  convenient  access  that  their  cir 
culation  would  not  easily  find  its  way  back.  Most  of  the 
country  banks  of  respectability  had  agencies,  where  they 
redeemed  their  bills  at  rates  varying,  according  to  location, 
from  one-eighth  to  three-quarters  of  one  per  cent.;  but  the 
banks  in  other  and  distant  States  had  no  regular  place  of 
redemption,  and  their  issues  were  purchased  by  brokers  at 
all  rates,  from  three-quarters  to  five  per  cent.  The  notes  of 
many  of  the  banks  far  South  and  West  were  sold  at  five  to 
ten  per  cent,  discount,  and  firms  doing  a  large  business  had 
to  keep  one  or  more  clerks  busy  in  turning  uncurrent  bills 
into  funds  that  could  be  here  deposited.  After  the  great 


112  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

depression  that  followed  the  financial  troubles  of  1837,  many 
firms  doing  business  South  and  West  were  compelled  to 
settle  with  their  customers  by  taking,  as  money,  the  cur 
rency  that  was  passing  in  those  sections,  issued  by  banks 
which  had  suspended  specie  payment,  and  yet  kept  up  a 
large  paper  circulation  which  could  only  be  converted  at  a 
very  heavy  discount,  into  money  current  in  New  York.  A 
person  starting  from  New  Orleans  for  New  York  would  have 
to  change  his  currency  several  times  in  order  to  get  funds 
that  would  be  taken  for  fares  and  hotel  bills.  The  country  was 
flooded  with  all  kinds  of  bank  bills — good,  bad,  and  indifferent — 
and  they  became  a  perfect  nuisance.  Now  we  have  the  best 
paper  currency  the  country  ever  had  ;  we  never  think  of  looking 
at  bank  bills,  for,  as  to  the  National  Banks,  we  know  they  are  all 
secured  by  United  States  bonds.  No  matter  if  a  bank  fails,  its 
notes  are  as  good  as  gold.  At  present  the  greenbacks  are 
equally  good,  but  as  they  have  no  actual  specie  basis,  they 
should  be  withdrawn  or  deprived  of  their  legal-tender  quality  ; 
otherwise  they  may,  during  a  sudden  turn  in  our  foreign  ex 
changes,  expose  us  to  disaster  that  would  spread  ruin  over  the 
land,  and  result  in  another  suspension  of  specie  payment." 

Another  difficulty  which  beset  business  in  those 
years  Urose  from  the  universal  credit  system.  Money 
was  scarce,  and  individual  I.  O.  U.'s  circulated  almost 
as  freely  as  bank  notes.  They  were  perfectly  good  until 
maturity — and  then  generally  good  for  nothing. 
This  involved  widespread  loss  and  distress.  A  mer 
chant's  solvency  depended  upon  a  nice  perception  on 
his  part  of  whom  to  trust  and  whom  not  to  trust. 
This  question  kept  him  on  a  rack  as  cruel  as  that  of 
the  Inquisition.  We  refuse  to  trust  some  men  because 
we  don't  know  them,  and  others  because  we  do.  But 
under  a  system  of  universal  credit,  the  volume  of  the 
business  transacted  must,  of  course,  depend  upon  the 


DIFFICULTIES.  113 

extension  of  credit  ;  and  the  difference  between  sol 
vency  and  bankruptcy  is  just  the  difference  between 
good  debts  and  bad  debts.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the 
merchants  of  that  generation  were  kept  awake  o' 
nights  ? 

Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  had  their  share  of  bad  debts. 
It  was  to  look  after  some  of  those  that  Mr.  Dodge 
set  out  in  the  fall  of  '39  upon  an  extended  Southern 
trip.  This  tour  was  a  cross  to  him.  It  meant  un 
ceasing  anxiety.  It  necessitated  a  separation  from 
his  other  and  dearer  self.  His  children — months 
would  elapse  before  he  could  again  bow  with  them  at 
the  family  altar  and  kiss  them  good-night.  But  he 
need  not  part  with  God — though  many  did  when  they 
went  down  South  at  that  time  ! 

This  home-lover  left  home  because  duty  called,  and 
that  call  he  always  obeyed.  He  reaped  a  harvest 
of  experience,  too.  It  was  Mr.  Dodge's  first  per 
sonal  look  at  the  South — a  look  many  times  re 
peated  afterwards.  The  busy  merchant  and  hurried 
traveller  was  the  best  of  correspondents.  However 
tangled  the  snarl  of  traffic,  however  lumbering  the 
stage  coach  or  wheezy  the  steamboat,  the  days  were 
rare  when  that  dear  lady  up  there  in  the  North  failed 
to  receive  a  message  and  a  token.  Let  us  open  this 
budget,  kindly  placed  by  her  at  our  disposal,  and 
look  through  the  eyes  of  her  absent  lord  at  some  of 
the  scenes  which  met  his  view.  His  objective  point, 
like  General  Benjamin  F.  Butler's  nearly  a  quarter  of 
a  century  later,  was  New  Orleans.  And  the  mer 
chant,  like  the  soldier,  chose  the  passage  by  sea,  going 
by  sailing  vessels  by  way  of  Charleston  and  Mobile. 
He  arrived  in  the  Crescent  City  in  January,  1840. 


114  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

"  Orange  trees,"  he  writes,  "  are  hanging  full,  and 
the  peach  trees  all  over  the  city  are  in  bloom,  and  the 
green  grass  looks  like  May.  If  the  weather  goes  on 
increasing  in  heat,  I  do  not  wonder  they  have  the 
yellow  fever.  The  city  is  so  low  the  water  cannot 
run  off,  and  even  now  it  stands  all  around  the  out 
skirts  in  a  deep-green  stagnant  state." 

Again  he  writes  : 

"  I  had  some  business  at  Bayou  Sara,  a  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  up  the  Mississippi.  I  left  here  Friday  afternoon,  and 
reached  my  destination  next  morning  before  breakfast.  Coming 
back,  I  took  passage  in  a  boat  that  stopped  at  almost  every  turn 
for  cotton  and  passengers,  remaining,  in  some  instances,  several 
hours  at  a  place.  It  was  my  debut  on  the  great  river,  and  I 
found  it  very  interesting.  Here  you  see  the  Southern  planter  in 
all  his  glory.  The  banks  are  lined  with  sugar  plantations,  and 
some  of  them  present  a  fine  appearance. 

"  The  large  sugar  houses,  with  their  tall  chimneys  and  the 
quarters  of  the  slaves,  which  are  comfortable  wooden  cottages, 
all  placed  in  regular  order,  each  with  its  little  garden,  and  some 
times  thirty  or  forty  houses  together,  painted  white,  with  red 
roofs,  make  each  plantation,  as  you  approach  it,  look  like  a  small 
village.  The  residences  of  the  planters  are  often  large  buildings, 
with  piazzas  and  pillars,  all  surrounded  with  noble  live  oaks 
and  evergreens,  affording  a  beautiful  shade  ;  but  the  curse  of 
slavery  is  stamped  upon  everything.  The  children  are  brought 
up  to  call  a  slave  for  the  least  thing  they  want,  without  any 
idea  of  helping  themselves.  A  young  lady  cannot  go  on  board 
a  steamer  without  her  black  or  mulatto  girl.  The  young  men 
must  have  their  servants  to  stand  behind  them  at  dinner.  No 
one  on  board  appeared  to  have  any  idea  of  God,  except  at 
almost  every  word  to  profane  His  holy  name.  Give  me  the 
small  New  England  farmer,  with  his  sons  and  daughters 
brought  up  to  work  six  days  in  the  week,  and  to  attend  church, 
well-dressed,  on  Sundays  !  " 


DIFFICULTIES.  115 

He  visited  Vicksburg  in  April,  and  photographs 
slavery  : 

"  It  has  rained  almost  every  day  since  I  came.  Think  of 
Hartford  without  sidewalks,  and  you  can  judge  of  the  difficulty 
of  getting  about.  I  look  in  vain  among  the  Sunday-Schools  for 
the  poor  black  children  ;  nor  do  I  think  they  are  ever  brought 
under  such  influence.  They  may  well  say,  '  No  man  cares  for 
my  soul.'  The  Methodists  have  preaching  every  Sunday  after 
noon  for  the  blacks,  who  are  fond  of  going  to  church,  and  many 
are  professors ;  but  the  Presbyterians,  as  far  as  I  can  judge,  do 
nothing  for  them.  The  field-hands— and  they  are  both  men 
and  women — are  generally,  in  this  State,  a  most  degraded  and 
wretched  set  of  beings,  little  removed  from  brutes,  and  usually 
treated  as  such.  Yet  they  are  all  immortal  beings,  for  whom 
Christ  died,  and  they  are  living  in  what  is  called  a  Christian 
land  ;  but  thousands  of  them  never  heard  of  Him,  except  in 
the  profanity  of  their  masters  and  overseers — a  practice  they 
soon  learn  to  follow.  Slavery  is  an  awful  thing,  and  God  will 
yet  punish  this  nation,  and  especially  the  South,  for  this  sin, 
and  the  evils  resulting  from  it.  Many  of  the  charges  the 
Abolitionists  bring  are  true.  The  almost  total  destruction  of 
the  family  relation  is  one  of  its  worst  features.  The  children 
born  on  a  plantation  know  only  their  mothers,  and  many 
planters  care  little  how  their  negroes  increase,  provided  they  do 
so  rapidly,  as  in  this  consists  their  property.  There  are  excep 
tions,  but  this  is  a  general  fact. 

"  I  saw  last  week  a  fine  little  fellow,  about  eight  years  old, 
sold  at  auction.  As  usual,  they  were  a  long  time  at  it,  and 
many  asked  him  idle  questions.  He  paid  little  attention  to 
them,  but  kept  his  eyes  on  the  bidders.  At  last  he  was  struck 
off;  and  when  he  saw  who  had  bought  him,  he  burst  out 
crying,  and  being  asked  what  was  the  matter,  he  replied  :  '  I 
want  to  live  with  Mr. ,  because  then  I  can  see  my  mother.'  " 

In  a  letter  from  the  same  town,  he  describes  a  court 
scene  : 


Il6  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

"  The  State  Court  is  now  sitting  here.  It  is  curious  to  sea 
how  they  do  things,  and  notice  the  jurors,  lawyers  and  judges. 
The  floor  is  covered  with  sawdust  several  inches  deep,  to 
prevent  its  being  flooded  with  tobacco-juice.  When  not 
smoking,  the  people  chew  beyond  anything  I  ever  saw.  The 
lawyers  sit  with  their  legs  on  the  tables,  and  the  judge  leans 
back  and  puts  his  on  the  desk  ;  and  then  they  examine  witnesses, 
and  cross-fire  at  each  other,  seldom  getting  up  until  they  are 
ready  to  sum  up  the  case.  Still,  they  have  some  very  able 
lawyers,  and  now  almost  every  man  in  the  State  is  at  law ;  and 
such  men  as  you  see  in  the  Court-House  yard,  lying  on  the 
grass,  or  sitting  in  every  style,  anxiety  and  distress  on  many 
faces  !  Such  general  ruin  one  does  not  often  see." 

In  May  he  joyfully  started  for  home  by  way  of  the 
Mississippi  and  overland  : 

"  I  am  now  seven  hundred  miles  on  my  way  up  the  great 
river.  The  current  against  us  is  very  strong,  but  we  make 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  every  twenty-four  hours.  We 
stop  occasionally  to  '  wood,'  and  it  is  a  curious  sight.  We  have 
on  board  two  hundred  men  as  deck  passengers,  who  pay  their 
way  in  part  by  helping  to  take  in  wood.  In  a  half  hour  they 
will  car.y  on  their  backs  thirty  cords  from  the  shore  to  the 
boat.  They  run  down  the  river  on  rafts  or  arks,  and  before 
steam  navigation  they  would  walk  home  some  fifteen  hundred 
to  two  thousand  miles.  The  sail  up  the  river  is  very  interesting 
now,  as  the  water  is  thirty  feet  higher  than  usual.  We 
constantly  see  where  large  masses  of  earth  have  been  washed 
away,  carrying  down  trees  and  soil.  I  have  already  read  a 
thousand  pages  since  coming  on  board  ;  among  other  books, 
three  volumes  of  Cooper's  '  Home  as  Found,'  an  instructive 
tale.  A  '  Mr.  Dodge,'  a  loquacious  character,  figures  largely ! 
The  boat  is  about  to  start,  after  wooding,  and  the  mosquitoes 
are  so  thick,  I  must  stop  writing." 

Mr.  Dodge  reached  home  at  the  end  of  May,  after 
a  fatiguing  journey — a  joyful  return  !  He  had  settled 


DIFFICULTIES.  117 

the  affairs  he  went  to  arrange,  and  more  successfully 
than  he  had  dared  to  hope,  although  the  net  result 
was  a  heavy  loss  to  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  A  gentle 
man,  representing  the  group  with  whom  he  had  been 
in  controversy  touching  these  matters,  bears  honor 
able  testimony  to  Mr.  Dodge's  candor  and  generosity 
in  a  letter  which  he  received  after  his  arrival  in  New 
York  : 

"  For  the  equitable  spirit  which  actuated  you  in  all  our  deal 
ings,  I  owe  many  acknowledgments  ;  but  I  desire  particularly 
to  express  my  unfeigned  thanks  for  the  kindness  manifested  by 
you  during  the  vexatious  delays  attending  the  last  settlement 
of  our  accounts,  and  the  handsome  as  well  as  the  obliging 
course  pursued  in  bringing  all  our  late  partnership  transactions 
to  a  final  close." 

Nevertheless,  Mr.  Dodge  never  afterwards  enter 
tained  any  high  regard  for  King  Cotton  (now  defunct). 


CHAPTER     III. 

DEVELOPMENT. 

NOT  long  after  Mr.  Dodge's  return  from  the  South, 
the  metropolis  went  crazy  over  the  introduction  of 
Croton  water — justifiable  insanity.  He  describes  this 
event,  and  the  condition  precedent  : 

"  Formerly,  this  element  was  supplied  by  public  pumps  at 
the  corners  of  blocks  far  apart ;  the  water  was  brackish  and 
very  hard  and  poor ;  there  were  some  fewr  springs  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  city,  where  wells  had  been  sunk  and  pumps  erected 
by  individuals.  This  water  was  taken  about  the  city  in  large 
casks,  similar  to  those  now  used  for  sprinkling  the  streets,  and 
painted  in  large  letters  on  the  end  "  Tea  Water."  It  was  sold 
at  two  cents  a  pail.  Besides  this,  the  Manhattan  Company  was 
chartered  with  banking  privileges  to  supply  the  city  with  water 
by  boring  and  pumping  into  tanks,  from  the  ground  near  the 
upper  end  of  Pearl  Street  in  Centre  Street.  Thence  wooden 
pipes  were  laid  to  many  dwellings,  but  the  water  proved  poor 
and  in  limited  supply,  and  the  company  found  the  banking 
department  better  than  the  water,  so  that  the  logs  soon 
decayed  and  were  never  renewed.  For  washing  and  all 
ordinary  purposes,  the  main  dependence  was  upon  the  cisterns, 
supplied  from  the  rain  caught  on  the  roofs,  but  in  long  droughts 
this  would  entirely  fail,  and  then  the  street  pumps  were  the 
only  source  of  supply,  and  those  could  not  be  used  with  any 
comfort  for  the  family  washing. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  one  time,  when  there  had  been  no  rain 
for  weeks,  and  our  cistern  (we  were  living  near  the  Battery) 


DEVELOPMENT.  1 19 

was  dry,  as  well  as  those  of  all  our  neighbors.  My  mother, 
visiting  a  friend  up-town,  near  Fulton  Street,  was  complaining 
that  she  had  not  a  drop  of  soft  water  to  wash  fine  muslins,  and 
her  friend  offered  to  let  her  fill  a  demijohn  from  her  cistern. 
My  brother  and  myself  made  our  mother  very  happy  by  bringing 
her  the  coveted  vessel  of  water  that  evening.  Well  might  our 
citizens  hasten  to  the  ballot-box,  in  1835,  to  vote  "Water,"  or 
"  No  Water,"  on  the  question  of  introducing  the  Croton  ;  and 
now  in  its  profuse  enjoyment  but  few  remember  the  old  times, 
when  they  were  glad  to  get  a  pail  of  water  for  their  tea  at  a 
cost  of  two  cents.  But  I  have  sometimes  almost  sighed  for  the 
old  brackish  pumps  which  were  used  by  the  passing  laborer  to 
quench  his  thirst ;  and  I  remember  that  for  years  after  their 
removal  there  was  not  a  drop  of  water  to  be  had  for  any  thirsty 
man  unless  he  went  into  a  corner  grocery.  Even  there  he  was 
tempted  to  drink  liquor,  because  he  was  ashamed  to  ask  for 
water  without  pay.  Thanks  to  the  efforts  of  some  good  men 
in  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  there  are  now  a  few  places  where 
good  water  for  man  and  beast  can  be  had  without  money  or 
price. 

"  On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1842,  the  introduction  of  the  Croton 
was  celebrated  by  an  imposing  procession,  and  many  who  had 
doubts  were  fully  satisfied  when,  at  12  o'clock,  as  the  procession 
rounded  the  park,  the  fountain  was  first  opened  and  sent  up  a 
stream  fifty  feet,  amid  the  shouts  of  the  people.  The  substan 
tial  and  faithful  construction  of  the  aqueduct  and  the  High 
Bridge,  by  men  who  did  not  squander  the  people's  money,  has 
left  us  not  even  for  a  day  in  want  of  an  abundance  of  water, 
and  the  work  was  so  well  done  that  it  stands  as  a  monument 
of  their  honest  labor." 

The  opening  up  of  the  Erie  Railroad  stirred  the 
Middle  States  from  center  to  circumference.  Every 
resident  along  that  highway  became  a  walking  ad 
vertisement  of  its  advantages.  Inanimate  things  pro 
claimed  the  improvement.  Persons  whose  homes 


120  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

were  at  distant  points  might  now  easily  reach  the 
entrepdt  of  commerce.  What  had  been  a  tedious 
journey  was  a  pleasure  jaunt.  Their  produce  was 
brought  within  expeditious  reach.  Farmers  and 
manufacturers  enjoyed  all  the  advantages  of  a  metro 
politan  residence  with  the  cheapness  of  outside  pro 
duction.  The  markets  of  the  city,  which  before  had 
controlled  only  a  local  and  precarious  supply,  now 
presented  a  bewildering  selection,  drawn  in  from  the 
vast  interior.  As  a  maple-tree  when  tapped  runs 
sugar-sap,  so  the  outlying  country,  tapped  by  this 
railroad,  poured  forth  its  wealth. 

Every  locality  became  eager  to  repeat  the  success 
ful  experiment.  In  1843  Mr.  Dodge  cut  the  first 
spadeful  of  sod  in  the  construction  of  the  New  Jersey 
Central  Railroad — the  second  of  the  great  trunk  lines 
with  a  metropolitan  terminus.  In  this  company,  too, 
he  became  a  director,  and  so  remained  for  thirty 
years.  Soon  after  surveyors  swarmed  through  the 
whole  region.  Branches  in  connection  with  the  main 
thoroughfares  were  thrust  out,  until  the  Middle 
States  were  cobwebbed  with  railroads,  and  distance 
was  measurably  annihilated. 

The  year  following  the  commencement  of  the  New 
Jersey  Central  Railroad,  witnessed  the  successful  in 
troduction  of  another  of  the  gigantic  instruments  of 
modern  civilization — the  electric  telegraph.  It  was 
in  1844  that  Mr.  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  of  New  York, 
after  years  of  painstaking  and  often  vain  experiment, 
at  last  strung  his  victorious  wires  and  gave  time  and 
isolation  the  coup  de  grace.  In  that  year  the  first  pub 
lic  line  was  completed  between  Washington  and 
Baltimore — forty  miles.  In  a  few  months  the  magic 


DEVELOPMENT.  121 

wires  ran  everywhither,  and  the  poetry  of  Shakes 
peare  was  translated  into  every  day  prose  ;  for  Mr. 
Morse  did  what  Puck  only  imagined — "  put  a  girdle 
round  the  earth."  The  alphabet  became  sentient. 
Every  click  of  the  instrument  at  one  end  conveyed  an 
idea  at  the  other  end.  Human  thought  was  not  only 
animate  ;  the  lightning  was  its  errand-boy.  As  a 
wide-awake  merchant  doing  business  in  the  nine 
teenth  century,  even  more  as  the  friend  of  progress 
and  mankind,  Mr.  Dodge  was  profoundly  interested 
in  this  marvellous  achievement.  He  welcomed  it  with 
both  hands  outstretched,  aiding  the  glorious  endeavor 
with  voice  and  purse. 

Nor,  amid  the  excitement  and  bustle  caused  by 
these  physical  developments,  did  he  for  a  moment 
neglect  those  quieter  but  even  more  important  inter 
ests  which  school  the  mind  and  heart.  If  this  was  a 
period  of  prodigious  material  growth,  it  was  likewise 
the  seed-time  of  mental  and  moral  advancement  corre 
spondingly  wonderful.  He  was  alert  to  see  that  the 
two  kept  equal  pace.  With  the  amazing  multipli 
cation  of  the  population — every  year  a  century,  and 
with  the  advantages  (the  temptations,  also)  added  by 
the  taming  of  steam  and  the  subduing  of  the  electric 
fluid  to  serviceable  uses,  he  was  quick  to  perceive  the 
need  of  enlarged  educational  facilities.  Did  each 
swift-passing  twelve-month  make  hands  worth  less  and 
brains  worth  more  ?  Than  what  other  duty  was  so 
emergent  as  that  of  discipline  for  the  brains  ?  Where 
men  and  women  were  in  rapidly  swelling  numbers, 
and  where  the  new  instruments  of  civilization  thun 
dered  and  lightened,  there,  too,  must  be  the  school- 
house  and  the  church.  He  recognized  the  truth, 


122  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

came  to  it  by  intuition,  thought  through  his  heart — 
that  education,  and  especially  religious  education,  was 
the  only  sufficient,  the  only  permanently  sure  basis  for 
American  institutions.  He  felt  that  to  increase  num 
bers  and  wealth  and  power  and  conveniences,  and  neg 
lect  men,  would  multiply  dangers  without  providing 
safeguards. 

"  What  constitutes  a  State  ? 
Not  high  raised  battlement  or  labored  mound, 

Thick  wall,  or  moated  gate  ;  . 
Not  cities  proud  with  spires  and  turrets  crowned  ; 

Not  bays  and  broad-armed  ports, 
Where,  laughing  at  the  storm,  rich  navies  ride. 

No  ; — men,  high-minded  men." 

Accordingly,  this  many-sided  man  gave  much 
thought  and  time  and  (as  usual)  money  at  this  period 
to  that  range  of  agencies  which  minister  to  manhood. 
In  the  intense  preoccupation  necessitated  by  such 
interests  as  he  was  manipulating,  it  might  have  been 
pardonable  in  any  one  else,  at  least  temporarily,  to 
ignore  philanthropy  in  the  mad  scramble  for  worldly 
position.  The  average  man,  it  is  to  be  feared,  wrould 
have  quieted  his  conscience  in  such  an  hour  by  say 
ing  :  "  First  let  me  achieve  riches  and  reputation. 
Then,  seated  on  that  throne,  I  shall  have  leisure  and 
ability  to  serve  others."  So  the  devil  cheats  thousands. 
'  Mr.  Dodge  was  strenuous  for  wealth,  too — but  only 
as  a  means.  If  these  temptations  came  to  him  (and 
why  not  ?  He  was  a  man),  he  said  :  "  Get  thee  behind 
me,  Satan  !  "  And  was  doubly  scrupulous  to  remem 
ber  and  provide  for  others  as  he  did  for  himself.  This 
is  an  impressive  fact.  It  increases  our  admiration  for 
him.  Yet,  such  was  his  life-plan. 


DEVELOPMENT.  123 

The  moment  when  he  began  to  have  an  income  was 
the  birth-hour  of  his  benevolent  interest  in  educational 
institutions.  He  became  a  regular  contributor  to 
some,  and  an  occasional  contributor  to  many  of  these. 
The  practice  continued,  the  list  expanded,  the  sums 
given  increased  until  the  end  of  his  life.  He  might 
have  erected  a  monument  to  himself  by  endowing'  a 
single  university.  But  he  aimed  not  at  fame,  but  at 
helpfulness.  His  idea  was  that  where  all  were  needy, 
more  good  would  be  accomplished  by  smaller,  single 
donations  (though  larger  in  the  aggregate)  distributed 
here,  there  and  yonder,  than  by  playing  the  prince 
towards  some  pet  object.  Each  college  and  seminary 
had  its  friends.  Judicious  and  timely  aid  to  each 
would  excite  a  generous  rivalry  and  provoke  a  kindred 
spirit  among  the  various  alumni.  In  this  way,  at  one 
time  or  another,  he  kept  several  now  flourishing  insti 
tutions  alive.  Still,  he  had  a  preference,  and  this  was 
given,  as  a  rule,  to  theological  schools  and  to  scholar 
ships  for  candidates  for  the  ministry. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary  in  New  York  City  (in  1836). 
He  founded  a  number  of  scholarships  in  the  Theo 
logical  Seminary  at  Auburn,  in  New  York,  and  united 
with  another  gentleman,  Col.  E.  B.  Morgan,  in  the 
erection  of  a  fine  library  building  for  its  books,  at  a 
cost  to  each  of  $20,000.  The  Seminaries  at  Princeton, 
New  Haven,  Cincinnati,  Bangor,  Chicago,  were 
among  his  beneficiaries.  He  endowed  the  President's 
chair  of  William's  College  by  a  donation  of  $30,000, 
besides  remembering  other  objects  connected  with 
that  seat  of  learning.  Dartmouth,  Amherst,  Lafay 
ette,  Beloit,  Marietta,  Oberlin,  Hamilton,  Grinnell, 


124  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Maryville,  were  among  the  colleges  upon  which  he 
snowed  down  his  checks.  The  amounts  thus  be 
stowed  ran  up,  when  combined,  into  many  hundreds 
of  thousands. 

He  was  particularly  concerned  to  have  a  competent 
and  well  equipped  ministry.  With  this  view  he  gen 
erously  aided  thousands  (literally)  of  young  men  to 
prepare  themselves  for  the  sacred  desk.  At  times  he 
had  as  many  as  twenty  of  these  on  his  annual  list. 
This  list  was  never  vacant.  Here,  again,  he  had  a 
preference.  He  outlines  this  preference  in  a  reply 
which  he  wrote  to  one  who  applied  to  him  for  aid  to 
a  certain  student  : 

"  I  am  interested  in  what  you  say  of  the  young  man,  but  such 
cases  do  not  come  under  my  plan.  I  am  trying  to  help  men 
somewhat  advanced  in  age,  and  who  have  not,  in  many 
instances,  had  a  collegiate  education.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to 
assist  those  already  in  college  and  intending  to  go  into  the 
ministry.  If  I  should  take  such  cases,  I  might  have  half  the 
young  men  now  preparing.  I  desire  to  aid,  so  far  as  I  have  the 
means,  men  from  twenty-one  to  thirty  years  of  age,  who  have 
had  a  good  English  education,  and  who,  in  the  churches  and 
Sunday-Schools  are  known  as  the  active  working  members, 
'  apt  to  teach,'  ready  and  acceptable  speakers,  such  as  pastors 
are  willing  to  send  out  to  form  a  new  school  or  conduct  the 
prayer  meetings,  and  who  often  feel  that  if  they  had  the  oppor 
tunity  they  would  be  glad  to  prepare  to  preach  the  Gospel  of 
God.  I  rejoice  to  see  young  men  in  greater  numbers  giving 
themselves  a  thorough  course  of  study ;  but  I  have  it  in  my 
mind  to  help  those  who,  though  not  so  well  instructed,  have 
more  knowledge  of  men,  are  educated  to  work,  and  are  disposed 
and  fitted  to  begin  preaching  after  a  few  years'  preparation." 

When  his  students  graduated,  he  followed  them  af 
fectionately  to  their  work.  They  were  never  shoved 


DEVELOPMENT.  125 

off  and  forgotten.  Many  of  them  became  his  trusted 
friends  and  constant  correspondents.  And  the  fields 
where  they  labored  often  experienced  his  generosity. 
His  habit  was  to  give  some  book  which  he  specially 
liked  to  each  of  them  when  they  left  the  Seminary- 
some  practical  work,  like  Mcllvaine's  "  Preaching," 
or  Wayland's  "  Letters  on  the  Ministry."  To  the  fly 
leaf  of  this  last  he  attached  a  printed  letter  of  counsel. 
This  letter  is  so  characteristic  that  we  quote  it  : 

"  MY  YOUNG  FRIEND  : — In  presenting  you  with  a  copy  of 
the  letters  of  President  Wayland,  '  On  the  Ministry  of  the 
Gospel,'  let  me  request  you  to  read  and  carefully  ponder  over 
each  letter,  and  prayerfully  ask  yourself  if  you  have  properly 
considered  the  importance  of  the  work  you  have  undertaken. 
I  have  felt  for  years  the  need  of  just  such  a  book  as  this.  I 
fear  that  many  enter  the  ministry  who  have  little  idea  that  the 
great  object  is  to  rescue  souls  from  hell,  by  leading  them  to 
Christ. 

"  Each  letter  is  full  of  valuable  suggestions  ;  but  let  me  call 
your  especial  attention  to  the  sixth,  '  On  the  Manner  of  Preach 
ing,'  each  part  of  which  I  commend  to  your  careful  consideration. 

"  I  might  suggest  that  while  I  approve  of  all  the  author  says 
about  extemporaneous  speaking,  yet  a  carefully  written  sermon 
once  a  week  might  be  best  for  a  few  years  ;  but  if  you  would 
reach  the  hearts  of  your  hearers,  they  must  feel  that  yours  is  so 
full  of  love  for  Christ  that  you  can  tell  them  of  it  without  a 
written  manuscript. 

"  For  many  years  I  have  made  the  subject  of  the  voice  and 
manner  of  public  speakers  one  of  special  interest,  and  have 
been  pained  to  see  how  little  attention  has  been  given  to  it  in 
our  theological  seminaries.  Many  of  our  students  come  out 
good  scholars,  are  fervent  in  spirit,  and  are  anxious  to  be  useful. 
But  having  neglected  the  cultivation  of  the  voice  and  the 
manner  of  delivery,  they  enter  upon  their  work  sadly  deficient 
in  grace  and  ease  of  action,  and  in  well-developed,  clear 


126  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

intonations ;  and  for  lack  of  these  they  never  attain  any  con 
siderable  standing  as  preachers,  and  much  of  which  they 
acquired  avails  but  little,  for  want  of  ability  to  present  it  with 
attraction. 

"  I  hold  it  to  be  the  duty  of  every  man  who  is  preparing  to 
deliver  God's  message  to  dying  men,  to  see  to  it  that  in  tone 
and  manner  it  be  done  in  the  best  way  to  secure  attention. 

"  A  person  intending  to  make  public  singing  a  profession 
will  study  for  years  to  cultivate  the  voice  to  give  it  strength  and 
volume,  so  that,  if  necessary,  he  can  interest  the  largest 
audiences.  Let  me  beg  of  you  to  consider  the  vast  importance 
of  a  full,  clear,  pleasant  voice,  properly  modulated,  and  without 
any  unpleasant  tone.  A  beautiful  piece  of  music,  performed 
upon  a  harsh,  discordant  instrument,  loses  all  its  beauties. 

"  The  man  who  becomes  confined  to  his  notes  can  never 
make  an  attractive  speaker.  The  times  demand  an  easy,  off 
hand  style  of  address. 

"  Don't  wait  until  you  can  enter  the  pulpit  before  you  learn 
to  speak,  but  in  the  prayer-meeting  and  Sunday-School  acquire 
an  easy,  familiar  style  of  public  address.  If  you  would  give  the 
trumpet  a  certain  sound,  you  must  learn  to  use  it. 

"  May  God  bless  you  and  prepare  you  for  turning  many  to 
righteousness,  is  the  earnest  prayer  of 

"  Your  friend, 

"  WILLIAM  E.  DODGE." 

His  interest  in  higher  education  is  the  more  re 
markable  because  he  had  not  himself  been  graduated 
from  any  college.  Men  usually  only  value  what  they 
know  from  experience.  But,  after  all,  he  was  a 
scholar  in  the  best  sense.  "  When  a  young  man,"  re 
marks  an  observant  member  of  his  own  family,  "  by 
the  careful  use  of  time,  especially  in  the  evenings,  he 
accomplished  an  unusual  amount  of  solid  reading  in 
general  literature,  particularly  in  history,  biography, 
travels,  and  theology.  Throughout  life  he  was  a 


DEVELOPMENT.  127 

rapid  and  eager  reader  of  newspapers,  journals,  and 
magazines  ;  and  of  books  bearing  upon  mercantile, 
philanthropic  and  religious  topics.  He  had,  more 
over,  the  intellectual  training  which  comes  from  daily 
and  sharp  contact  with  other  minds  in  the  competi 
tion  of  trade,  and  from  continual  grappling  with 
large  and  intricate  problems  in  lines  of  business  or 
benevolence.  This  experience  supplied  a  mental  cul 
ture  and  a  fund  of  knowledge  as  effective  and  ample, 
as  any  gained  from  classical  studies  or  strictly  literary 
pursuits." 

How  was  it  possible  for  this  busy  merchant  to  di 
vide  his  attention  so  multifariously  ?  To  turn  so  rapidly 
from  one  consideration  to  another  at  the  antipodes  ? 
To  transact  business  for  Earth  and  Heaven  without 
confusion  ?  The  sccret-is  found  in  two  words,  adapta 
tion  and  system. 

Adaptation. — There  are  too  many  round  sticks  in 
square  holes.  Not  only  comfort  but  success  depends 
upon  right  adjustment.  Fitness  is  to  be  considered. 
Almost  every  one  has  some  special  gift.  If  this  be 
developed  and  geared  to  the  work  in  hand,  the  result 
is  ease  and  usefulness.  Temperament  and  bias  are 
the  true  fore-ordainers. 

System. — Everything  in  its  time,  place,  turn — this 
multiplies  one  person  into  many.  It  oils  unnecessary 
and  wearing  friction  out  of  work.  On  this  plan,  it  is 
as  easy  and  pleasant  to  deal  with  a  thousand  concerns 
as  with  a  few. 

To  these  qualities  (which  are  attainable  by  all),  Mr. 
Dodge  added  a  rare  executive  faculty  (wrhich  is  a 
gift).  He  was  a  natural  manager.  Never  was  he 
happier,  never  more  serene,  than  when  engaged  in 


128  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

bringing  order  out  of  chaos.  He  was  master  of  the 
situation.  He  felt  it  and  you  felt  it. 

This  fourth  decade  of  Mr.  Dodge's  life  was  a  period 
of  political  excitement.  It  opened  with  Andrew 
Jackson  still  (no,  not  still j  but  very  noisy)  in  the 
White  House.  He  made  things  lively.  First,  by  his 
famous  (and  infamous)  phrase  :  "  To  the  victors  be 
long  the  spoils  ! "  which  revolutionized  the  whole 
civil  service,  and  made  office-holding  not  a  public 
trust,  but  the  plunder  of  a  looting  army — a  principle 
originating  not  with  a  statesman  but  with  a  soldier, 
which  the  nation  is  only  just  now  beginning  to  dis 
card  ;  next,  by  his  vigorous  measures  against  nullifi 
cation,  in  which  he  was  grandly  right,  setting  the  ex 
ample  of  resistance  to  treason  so  magnificently  fol 
lowed  thirty  years  afterwards. 

In  1844  Henry  Clay  was  a  candidate  for  the  presi 
dency,  and  was  distanced  in  the  race.  The  issues 
were  the  extension  of  slavery  and  the  reduction  of 
the  tariff.  The  Whig  party  opposed  both  of  these 
measures.  But  Texas  came  into  the  Union,  and  the 
tariff  was  attenuated  almost  to  the  point  of  free  trade. 
Mr.  Dodge  was  a  Whig.  He  was  interested  enough 
to  vote,  but  cared  little  for  politics.  He  was  pre 
occupied.  With  his  nature  and  principles  he  ought 
to  have  been  an  Abolitionist.  It  is  a  spot  on  the  sun- 
disc  of  his  fame  that  he  was  not.  Perhaps  he  thought 
he  had  irons  enough  in  the  fire  without  adding  this 
red-hot  poker.  Anyhow,  we  are  the  creatures  of  our 
environment.  He  was  a  merchant  as  well  as  a  Chris 
tian.  Usually  he  combined  the  two  in  his  character 
and  conduct.  In  this  matter,  the  merchant  dominated 
the  Christian.  While  Christianity  (not  as  represented 


DEVELOPMENT.  129 

by  the  churches  of  that  day,  but  as  taught  in  the  new 
Testament)  said  :  "  Let  my  people  go  !  "  Commerce 
whispered  :  "  Hush  !  around  about  loom  the  Alps  of 
slavery — a  loud  word  will  bring  down  the  avalanche." 
Christianity  said  :  "  You  are  buying  and  selling  men 
and  women,  making  the  family  impossible,  breeding 
children  for  the  shambles,  depriving  immortal  souls 
of  a  place  here  and  of  heaven  hereafter — God  will 
punish  the  inhuman  traffic."  Commerce  responded  : 
"  Shylock  is  entitled  to  his  pound  of  flesh — it  is  so 
nominated  in  the  bond." 

A  few  brave  souls  cried  aloud  and  spared  not.  Mr. 
Dodge  should  have  been  among  them.  He  lost  a 
grand  opportunity.  But,  to  change  Whittier  a  little  : 

"  No  perfect  whole  can  our  nature  make  ; 
Here  or  there  the  circle  will  break ; 
The  orb  of  life  as  it  takes  the  light 
On  one  side  leaves  the  other  in  night. 
Never  was  saint  so  good  and  great 
As  to  give  no  chance  at  St.  Peter's  gate 
For  the  plea  of  the  devil's  advocate, 
So,  incomplete  by  his  being's  law, 
The  marvellous  merchant  had  his  flaw." 

For  once,  Mr.  Dodge  loved  peace  more  than  right 
eousness.  He  was  willing  to  purchase  fraternity 
(white  fraternity)  at  the  expense  of  justice.  But 
peace  and  fraternity  were  impossible  on  that  unholy 
basis.  The  government  was  built  over  a  powder 
magazine.  The  spark  of  divine  judgment  was  about 
to  fall — the  explosion  was  inevitable. 

Later,  the  Christian  dominated  the  merchant,  and 
Mr.  Dodge  made  a  magnificent  atonement. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

ACROSS      THE      OCEAN. 

WHO  ever  forgets  a  first  visit  to  Europe  ?  Who 
that  has  read  history  does  not  wish  and  purpose 
(God  willing)  to  go  where  history  has  been  made  for 
two  thousand  years?  In  so  far  as  scenery  is  con 
cerned,  it  is  not  necessary  to  cross  the  ocean  to  find 
that.  America  has  mountains  as  sublime  as  those  of 
Switzerland — snow  caps  and  all  ;  and  lakes  as  blue  as 
Lucerne  ;  and  meadows  as  green  as  "  merrie  Eng 
land."  And  where  is  there  another  Niagara  ?  When 
it  comes  to  vast  continental  stretches,  why  the  little 
principalities  that  make  up  Germany  would  hardly 
yield,  territory  enough  for  the  outlying  land  of  a  cattle 
ranch  in  Texas.  No  ;  it  is  not  mere  physical  geogra 
phy  that  makes  European  travel  a  delight.  It  is  the 
fact  that  over  there  history  looks  down  on  you  from 
every  hill  ;  that  each  field  was  once  reddened  with 
blood,  which  has  fattened  the  earth  to  produce  the 
green  sward — was  the  arena  of  some  world-changing 
battle  ;  that  there  is  a  romance  in  every  ripple  of 
every  stream  that  runs  laughing  through  the  land 
scape.  In  this  ramshackle  building  John  Knox  re 
sided,  and  yonder,  in  old  St.  Giles,  he  called  the  un 
wonted  blush  to  the  cheek  of  Mary  Stuart.  Here 
Guttenberg,  the  father  of  the  printing  press,  lived 
when  he  carved  out  his  movable  types,  and  gave 


ACROSS    THE    OCEAN.  131 

birth  to  the  "  art  preservative  of  arts."  From  these 
robber  castles  along  the  Rhine  the  licensed  free 
booters  of  feudalism  descended  to  exact  their  ruth 
less  toll  (how  far  the  world  has  travelled  since  then  !). 
In  that  superb  pile  of  buildings  seated  beside  the 
placid  Thames,  and  called  the  Houses  of  Parliament, 
the  tournaments  of  debate  have  taken  place — each 
knightly  jouster  cleaving  an  epoch  with  verbal  sword 
or  battle-axe.  Congreve,  the  famous  playwright,  once 
said  of  a  beautiful  woman  to  whom  he  had  been  tenderly 
attached,  that  "  to  have  loved  her  was  a  liberal  educa 
tion."  So  a  European  experience  to  a  scholarly 
brain  and  an  appreciative  heart,  is  a  liberal  educa 
tion.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  had  long  anticipated  this 
voyage.  In  1844  the  anticipation  was  realized. 
Steam  was  yet  in  the  experimental  stage  as  applied 
to  ocean  navigation.  Hence  they  embarked  in  a 
sailing  vessel — the  staunch  ship  "  Ashburton."  Both 
were  already  experienced  travellers.  The  habit  stood 
them  in  good  stead  on  the  Atlantic,  the  lady,  how 
ever,  proving,  if  any  difference  was  manifest,  the 
better  sailor.  The  passage  was  uneventful,  and,  con 
sidering  the  lack  of  steam,  rapid — twenty-four  days. 
Mr.  Dodge  was,  as  usual,  the  life  of  the  company. 
He  had  a  remarkable  faculty  of  making  himself  and 
everybody  else  comfortable  in  the  most  untoward 
circumstances.  This  unattended  lady  fcund  in  him  a 
chivalrous  cavalier  ;  that  sick  baby  a  stalwart  nurse. 
On  shipboard,  as  on  land,  he  was  the  friend  of 
the  friendless.  Beautiful  prerogative  !  the  issue  of 
a  warm  heart  and  humane  spirit.  Travel  reveals 
character.  He  who  is  a  gentleman  then  is  a 
gentleman  always  —  a  gentleman  clear  through, 


132  WILLIAM    K.    DODGE. 

not  the  veneered  article.  The  word  genial  describes 
Mr.  Dodge's  manner.  He  had  the  power  of  adapta 
tion.  Those  sailors  in  pea-jackets  dowrn  in  the 
forecastle,  or  scrambling  through  the  rigging,  felt 
as  much  at  home  with  him  (and  this  without  any 
descent  on  his  part  to  their  level)  as  his  accustomed 
associates  did  on  'Change  or  in  the  drawing-room. 
"  Somehow,"  said  he  one  day,  "  I  get  on  with  every 
body.  I  easily  find  a  point  of  contact."  Why  was 
this  ?  Was  it  not  due  to  his  broad  sympathies  ? 
There  was  no  starch  in  him.  He  loved  his  fellows — 
took  a  genuine  interest  in  them.  They  recognized 
this,  little  folks  and  big,  and  repaid  it  by  an  un 
swerving  affection.  It  may  well  be  doubted  whether 
any  one  of  his  generation  had  a  wider,  a  more  miscel 
laneous,  and  a  more  attached  circle  of  friends.  What 
is  it  that  the  wise  man  saith  ?  "  If  a  man  would  have 
friends,  he  must  show  himself  friendly." 

On  sighting  the  Irish  Coast,  and  just  at  the  en 
trance  to  the  Irish  Sea,  the  "  Ashburton  "  was  be 
calmed.  "  A  pilot  boat,"  remarks  Mr.  Dodge,  "  came 
out  from  old  Kinsale  ;  there  was  just  a  breath  of  air 
sufficient  to  move  the  little  boat  with  its  large  sails. 
Quite  a  number  of  us  made  an  arrangement  to  get  on 
the  pilot  boat  and  go  on  to  Kinsale,  and  thence 
through  the  country.  Soon  after  we  left  the  ship  we 
found  there  wasn't  wind  enough  for  the  boat  even  ; 
and  just  as  we  got  under  the  head  of  Kinsale,  the 
tide  began  to  run  out  swiftly  (for  it  rises  there  thirty 
feet),  and  we  had  to  lie  all  night  under  the  headland 
in  the  tossing  boat — a  terrible  night,  too.  Next  day 
was  the  Sabbath.  The  sun  rose  in  all  its  beauty,  and 
at  about  seven  o'clock  we  ran  in  with  the  tide  to  the 


ACROSS    THE    OCEAN.  133 

little  village  of  Kinsale.  We  were  all  tired,  many  of 
our  friends  had  been  sick  during  the  night,  and  it  so 
happened  that  each  one  of  them  had  a  most  pressing 
excuse  to  go  on.  Some  of  them  had  never  travelled 
on  the  Sabbath,  but  they  were  so  situated  that  they 
must  go  on  ;  and  particularly  one  lady,  who  had 
come  out  in  charge  of  two  girls,  ten  or  twelve  years 
of  age,  and  she  was  very  anxious,  indeed,  to  keep  on 
travelling.  A  gentleman  and  his  wife  from  New  York, 
Mrs.  Dodge  and  myself,  were  all  that  remained.  We 
had  nice  rooms  in  a  little  bit  of  a  hotel,  where  we 
changed  our  clothing,  washed  ourselves,  and  got 
breakfast.  We  went  to  a  beautiful  little  church,  and 
had  a  delightful  service.  After  service  the  young 
preacher,  seeing  us  there  as  strangers,  made  us  wel 
come  ;  and  we  attended  service  again  in  the  after 
noon.  On  Monday  morning,  as  the  coach  came  up, 
we  found  this  young  clergyman  was  to  be  our  com 
panion  to  Cork,  and  he  said  :  '  Now,  get  up  on  top  of 
the  stage  ;  I  know  all  the  country,  and  will  show  you 
everything.'  We  had  a  charming  ride  of  two  days 
and  two  nights.  But  the  second  day,  about  ten 
o'clock,  we  stopped  at  one  of  the  principal  stage 
villages,  and  there  on  the  platform  stood  every  one  of 
our  poor  fellow-passengers.  There  they  stood  ;  and 
that  poor  woman  with  her  two  little  children  !  They 
had  travelled  day  and  night,  had  become  tired,  and 
waited  for  this  coach  to  come  along  ;  but  there  wasn't 
a  seat  to  be  had,  and  we  left  them  there  utterly 
forlorn." 

The  busy  man  of  affairs  was  a  scrupulous  observer 
of  the  Lord's  day.  As  a  mere  period  of  rest  and 
change  he  held  to  its  superlative  importance  ;  much 


134  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

more  as  the  market  day  of  the  soul.  Abroad  or  at 
home  he  kept  it  holy.  "  Sabbath  breakers,"  he  was 
wont  to  say,  "  always  lay  up  a  loss." 

Aside  from  the  desire  to  see  Cork,  the  third  in  size 
of  the  Irish  cities,  they  were  attracted  thither  by  the 
wish  to  shake  hands  with  Father  Mathew,  stories  of 
whose  wonderful  doings  had  reached  them  in  America. 

In  Father  Mathew  Mr.  Dodge  recognized  a  kindred 
spirit.  True,  he  belonged  to  a  church  with  which  the 
Puritan  New  Yorker  had  little  sympathy.  But  though 
he  had  no  faith  in  the  Roman  Catholic  system,  he 
had  a  sincere  regard  for  many  Roman  Catholic  indi 
viduals,  and  a  special  admiration  for  this  good  priest. 
It  was  worth  a  pilgrimage  to  get  into  his  presence. 

Father  Mathew  was  at  this  time  in  middle  life  and  at 
the  noon  of  his  career.  Of  gentle  birth,  he  had,  accord 
ing  to  his  light,  foresworn  the  world  and  given  him 
self  up  to  the  service  of  God  and  mankind.  He  was 
born  at  Thomastown,  Tipperary,  in  1790;  pursued 
his  preparatory  studies  at  Kilkenny  ;  passed  for  awhile 
to  the  college  of  Maynooth  ;  whence,  in  1808,  he  went 
to  Dublin,  where  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood 
in  1814.  Entering  the  Capuchin  Order,  he  was  sent  to 
the  Capuchin  Church  at  Cork.  His  singularly  chari 
table  disposition,  affability,  eloquence  and  zeal,  won 
the  love  of  rich  and  poor.  He  founded  schools  for 
children  of  both  sexes,  and  contributed  to  the  correc 
tion  of  many  abuses  and  indecencies  connected  with 
the  burial  of  the  dead,  by  establishing  in  Cork  a  ceme 
tery  modelled  after  Pere  la  Chaise,  in  Paris,  although 
less  pretentious.  His  benevolence  and  heroism  dur 
ing  the  terrible  cholera  season  of  1832  canonized 
him  in  the  affections  of  the  simple  peasantry. 


ACROSS    THE    OCKAX.  135 

But  the  great  work  of  Father  Mathew's  life  was  the 
reformation  he  wrought  in  the  social  habits  of  his 
fellow  countrymen,  and  which  gained  for  him  the 
title  of  THE  APOSTLE  OF  TEMPERANCE.  He  found  the 
Irish  the  most  drunken  people  in  Europe.  He  came 
to  hate  the  devil — alcohol — as  the  arch-enemy  of 
thrift  here  and  salvation  hereafter — a  feeling  shared 
by  every  student  of  this  appalling  evil.  Nor  did  he 
permit  this  sentiment  to  evaporate  in  unavailing 
regret.  In  1838  he  established  a  total  abstinence  so 
ciety  in  Cork,  which  presently  counted  150,000  adher 
ents  in  that  vicinity.  As  the  work  grew,  he  gave 
himself  wholly  up  to  it,  and  the  lovely  contagion 
spread  over  the  Island.  At  Nenagh  20,000  persons 
took  the  pledge  in  a  single  day  ;  at  Galway  100,000 
in  two  days  ;  at  Dublin  70,000  in  five  days.  "  It  is 
difficult,"  remarks  a  judicious  writer,  "  to  give  an 
exact  estimate  of  the  number  of  his  converts  ;  but  a 
large  proportion  of  the  adult  population  of  Ireland, 
without  distinction  of  rank,  creed,  or  sex,  were  in  the 
number.  So  complete  was  the  revolution  in  the 
habits  of  the  people  that  many  distilleries  and  brew 
eries  ceased  from  working." 

Did  his  converts  stand  ?  Many  went  back  when 
death  removed  their  mentor  (in  1856);  but  many 
continued  faithful.  Moreover,  public  opinion  in  Ire 
land  touching  the  use  of  intoxicants  was  revolution 
ized.  The  results  of  the  reformation  are  visible  at 
the  present  day. 

The  views  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  on  the  subject 
of  temperance  so  entirely  coincided  with  those  of 
Father  Mathew  that  they  drove  at  once  to  his  door. 
He  received  them  with  Irish  hospitality.  After  an 


136  WILLIAM     E.     130DGE. 

interview  of  an  hour  or  two,  a  servant  entered  the 
apartment  and  said  to  the  good  priest  : 

"The  room  is  full." 

Father  Mathew  invited  them  to  go  below  with 
him.  They  entered  a  saloon  which  was  crowded. 
The  Father  administered  the  pledge  to  each  in  turn, 
accompanying  it  with  a  medal,  and  giving  to  the 
ceremony  a  religious  character.  Then  he  addressed 
them  simply,  yet  effectively,  and  commended  them  to 
the  care  of  heaven.  His  American  visitors  were  con 
vinced  that  the  secret  of  his  miraculous  success  lay  in 
the  piety  of  the  man,  and  in  the  piety  he  implanted 
in  his  adherents.  It  was  Christianity  in  a  new  guise 
— nothing  else. 

The  truth  is,  human  nature  cannot  be  made  vir 
tuous  by  machinery.  Law  may  repress  ;  it  cannot  re 
form.  Here  is  the  value  of  religion  :  it  regenerates. 
He  who  puts  off  the  old  man  and  puts  on  the  new 
man,  gets  a  new  motive,  and  so  lives  a  new  life. 
Moral  suasion  on  the  basis  of  Christianity  works  won 
ders.  Law  alone  effects  little.  Statutes  will  never  in 
troduce  the  millennium.  Certain  reformers  in  our 
day  mistake  an  ideal  for  a  reform  bill.  Seeing  a 
beautiful  vision  in  the  clouds,  they  sketch  it,  draft  it, 
propose  it  as  a  legislative  enactment,  and  expect  to 
realize  the  millennium  when  it  is  passed.  But  we 
live  in  America,  not  Utopia.  This  is  a  government  of 
public  opinion,  not  of  theorists.  A  statute  in  this 
country  is  not  worth  the  paper  it  is  written  upon, 
unless  behind  it  is  a  friendly  and  executive  public 
sentiment.  Therefore,  the  first  effort  of  all  practical 
reformers  is,  not  to  doctor  the  statute  book,  but 
to  enlighten  and  quicken  the  individual  conscience. 


ACROSS    THE    OCEAN.  137 

This  -is  done  not  by  law  but  by  religion.  Out  of  a 
rectified  public  opinion  law  will  come,  and  its  enforce 
ment  will  be  certain.  But  a  dead  law  is  no  law.  You 
can  do  everything  with  a  bayonet,  except  sit  on  it. 
The  success  of  Father  Mathew  in  Ireland,  and  of 
kindred  agitators  in  America,  may  be  attributed  to 
the  recognition  of  this  truth — to  a  crusade  under  the 
banner  of  moral  suasion  and  the  Gospel. 

Father  Mathew  invited  his  American  friends  to 
drive  out  with  him  to  an  Ursuline  Convent  in  the 
suburbs,  which  they  did,  passing  there  some  pleasant 
hours.  In  parting,  Mr.  Dodge  extended  a  hearty  in 
vitation  to  the  Irish  reformer  to  visit  America — an 
invitation  which  he  accepted  five  years  later,  when  he 
repeated  in  the  new  world  his  triumphs  in  the  old. 
As  these  two  men,  so  different  in  creed,  so  alike  in 
spirit,  shook  hands  and  said  good-bye,  Mr.  Dodge 
thought  that  if  the  test  of  apostolic  descent  is  apos 
tolic  success,  then  surely  Father  Mathew  must  be  in 
the  line. 

From  Cork  the  travellers  went  by  diligence  (the 
European  name  for  a  stage  coach)  to  Dublin. 

After  a  day  or  two  in  the  Irish  capital  the  husband 
and  wife  crossed  to  Wales,  carrying  with  them  de 
lightful  recollections  of  Ireland — including  the  beg 
gars,  who,  if  persistent,  were  also  picturesque. 

Mr.  Dodge  had  business  relations  with  Wales, 
whence  he  imported  vast  quantities  of  tin.  He  tar 
ried  for  a  few  days  under  the  roof  of  Lewellyn  of 
Lewellyn,  the  don  of  the  neighborhood,  who  lived  in 
regal  style  near  his  mines,  and  with  whom  he  had 
transacted  business  for  many  years.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dodge  were  amazed  at  the  Welsh  extravagance 


138  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

in  the  use  of  the  alphabet.  The  Welsh  name  of  the 
manor  house  where  they  were  entertained  covered  a 
whole  line  of  Mrs.  Dodge's  note  paper.  Phonetic 
spelling  in  Wales  would  enable  the  inhabitants  to  save 
time. 

In  Liverpool  Mrs.  Dodge's  eldest  sister  resided,  she 
having  married  Mr.  Daniel  James,  the  third  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.,  who  had  charge  of 
the  English  branch.1  Of  course,  therefore,  their  visit 
at  the  great  British  seaport  was  charming — a  whiff  of 
home  in  a  foreign  land. 

From  Liverpool  they  proceeded  by  railroad  to 
London.  Here  they  made  many  friends,  whom  they 
ever  after  retained,  and  were  received  and  entertained 
almost  royally.  After  business  and  social  claims  were 
satisfied,  they  gave  up  a  good  part  of  their  time  to 
sight-seeing.  In  the  enjoyment  of  ample  means  and 
splendid  health,  and  chaperoned  by  devoted  friends 
who  were  au  fait,  they  saw,  under  the  best  auspices, 
whatever  was  worth  seeing. 

The  Sundays  in  London  were  days  of  special  de 
light.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  heard  the  pulpit  celebri 
ties,  conformist  and  non-conformist,  high  church,  low 
church,  broad  church  and  hazy.  They  admired  the 
English  style  of  preaching  ;  and  found  it,  as  a  rule, 
more  Biblical  and  practical  than  the  American.  Pul 
pit  and  pew  seemed  wide-awake.  "  What  hymn 
would  you  suggest  to  go  with  my  sermon,  Professor 
Park?"  asked  a  young  Yankee  preacher.  "Well," 
was  the  reply  of  the  Andover  Jupiter,  "  I  would  sug- 


1  See  page  70. 


ACROSS    THE    OCEAN.  139 

gest,  '  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep.'  "  "  What  do  you 
think  of  my  train  of  thought?"  queried  another. 
"  Your  train  only  needs  a  sleeping-car,"  was  the  cru 
elly  candid  answer. 

Not  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  imagined  the  Amer 
ican  pulpit  to  be  fairly  represented  by  these  stories  ; 
far  from  it.  But  they  thought  the  American  style,  in 
comparison  with  the  English,  was  essayistic  and  meta 
physical. 

From  London  they  went  to  Paris — a  flying  visit. 
But  they  found  time  to  look  about.  The  beauty  of 
the  French  metropolis  they  acknowledged  ;  its  Sun 
day  desecration,  frivolity,  and  irreligiousness  they 
lamented.  What  specially  attracted  their  attention 
was  the  French  habit  (prevalent  as  well  all  over  the 
continent  of  Europe)  of  making  the  house  of  God  a 
military  museum  ;  each  Cathedral  being  adorned  with 
drums,  swords,  shields,  the  keys  of  captured  cities, 
battle-flags,  intermingled  with  sacred  pictures,  cruci 
fixes,  holy-water  urns  and  religious  paraphernalia,  in 
one  incongruous,  indescribable  medley  ;  which  sug 
gested  the  idea  of  the  church  and  the  world  off  on  a 
spree. 

Of  course,  Mr.  Dodge  looked  in  upon  the  Bourse. 
Here  he  found  himself  at  home.  The  Bourse,  like  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange,  was  as  sensitive  as  a  hys 
terical  woman.  The  quotations  went  up  like  a  rocket 
by  the  mere  force  of  a  rumor,  and  speculators  in 
whose  fertile  brains  the  rumor  originated,  got  into 
the  saddle,  took  a  gallop  up  hill  and  unloaded  while 
there.  Then  the  quotations  went  down  with  the 
speed  of  a  toboggan,  impelled  by  another  rumor,  and 
other  speculators  took  a  slide  and  made  their  pile  on 


140  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

the  way  down.  No  wonder  he  thought  himself  back 
on  Manhattan  Island  ! 

Returning  to  England,  they  embarked  for  home, 
which  they  reached  duly  and  safely  after  an  absence 
of  four  months. 

Not  only  on  this  occasion,  but  whenever  it  was  pos 
sible,  and  they  found  it  possible  when  it  had  some 
times  seemed  impossible,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  trav 
elled  together.  This  old-fashioned  couple  never 
acquired  the  habit  of  being  indifferently  happy  when 
separated,  after  the  manner  of  some  husbands  and 
wives — a  habit  which  is  apt  to  exhale  their  early 
romance  in  the  fetid  atmosphere  of  the  divorce  court. 
Being  one,  they  went  hand  in  hand  ;  and  so  con 
tinued  to  do  until  death  struck  him  into  the  grave, 
and  left  her  to  weep  alone, 


FIFTH     DECADE 


.    4O-5o.) 


CHAPTER  I. 

SOURCES     OF     WEALTH. 

EXHILERATED  by  the  ozone  of  the  Atlantic,  with 
the  tan  of  the  ocean  on  his  cheeks,  Mr.  Dodge  kissed 
his  children,  received  the  welcome  home  of  his  re 
latives,  and  then  threw  himself  with  redoubled  energy 
into  his  work.  He  divided  his  time,  according  to  his 
habit,  between  business  and  benevolence.  Rather, 
he  carried  these  interests  forward  along  parallel  lines, 
turning  from  this  to  that  with  such  rapidity  that  he 
seemed  to  give  them  simultaneous  attention.  This 
man  had  the  plus,  or  positive  power,  which  invariably 
accompanies  success,  and  necessitates  it.  He  had  the 
secret  of  concentration — could  swing  his  whole  being 
into  the  accomplishment  of  the  thing  in  hand.  In 
dealing  with  nature,  he  transformed  obstacles  into 
helps.  God  brought  this  planet  to  order  and  beauty 
by  the  disengaging  processes  of  fire  and  flood.  So 
civilization  is  created  out  of  rudimentary  hindrances 
— out  of  coal,  iron,  steam,  electricity.  In  dealing  with 
human  nature  he  pursued  the  same  tactics.  As  al 
cohol  and  leaven,  which  represent  putrefactive  pro 
cesses,  are  used  in  preserving  animal  tissues  and 
nourishing  animal  life,  so  the  eruptive  and  destructive 
forces  in  our  being  may  become  the  servants  of  a 
purpose  they  otherwise  would  thwart. 

Mr.  Dodge  set  before  himself  the  object  of  becom- 


144  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

ing  wealthy.  'Tis  a  worthy  object.  It  means — • 
what  ?  The  enlargement  of  our  nature,  the  multipli 
cation  of  our  powers.  "Wealth,"  says  a  quaint 
writer,  "begins  in  a  tight  roof  that  keeps  the  rain 
and  wind  out  ;  in  a  good  pump  that  yields  you  plenty 
of  sweet  water  ;  in  two  suits  of  clothes,  so  to  change 
your  dress  when  you  are  wet  ;  in  dry  sticks  to  burn  ; 
in  a  good  double-wick  lamp  ;  in  three  meals  ;  in  a 
horse,  or  a  locomotive,  to  cross  the  land  ;  in  a  boat 
to  cross  the  sea  ;  in  tools  to  work  with  ;  in  books  to 
read  ;  and  so,  in  giving,  on  all  sides,  by  tools  and 
auxiliaries,  the  greatest  possible  extension  to  our 
powers,  as  if  it  added  feet,  and  hands,  and  eyes,  and 
blood,  length  to  the  day,  and  knowledge,  and  good 
will."  Poverty  is  something  to  fly  from.  It  stints 
the  growth  and  usefulness  of  man.  Christ  bore  it  ; 
but  he  bore  it  as  he  did  other  wretched  conditions 
and  surroundings  of  mortality — to  show  that  it  can 
be  nobly  endured.  Man  has  within  him  outreaching 
propensities  which  it  hurts  him  to  curb.  And,  in  fact, 
providence  gives  us  no  rest  nor  peace  until  we  draw 
ourselves  out  of  that  state  of  deprivation  and  pain,  in 
which  we  are  dungeoned  when  poor.  There  is  danger 
in  wealth  ;  true.  But  there  is  greater  danger  in 
poverty.  The  poor  man  walks  from  hour  to  hour 
along  the  slippery  edge  of  temptation,  and  is  in  mo 
mentary  danger  of  falling  into  the  bottomless  pit. 

It  has  been  shrewdly  said  that  "  the  art  of  getting 
rich  consists  not  in  industry,  much  less  in  saving,  but 
in  a  better  order,  in  timeliness,  in  being  at  the  right 
spot."  Mr.  Dodge  was  alert.  He  was  ever  ready  to 
jump  in  where  there  was  an  opening.  Nor  did  he  re 
peat  Micawber  and  "  wait  for  something  to  turn  up." 


SOURCES    OF    WEALTH.  145 

He  turned  up  something.  Hence  his  affairs  were  for 
ever  expanding.  The  study  of  his  career  (as  of  that 
of  any  other  financial  magnate)  shows  that  wealth  is 
not  a  happy  accident,  but  is  the  result  of  a  nice  adapta 
tion  of  means  to  ends,  and  then  of  skillful  supervision. 
Those  who  fall  into  a  fortune  soon  fall  out  of  it. 

The  knack  of  putting  what  has  been  useless  out  to 
service,  and  making  it  yield  dividends,  is  another  of 
the  secrets  of  wealth.  Electricity  was  lying  around 
loose  in  the  days  of  Moses,  just  as  it  is  now,  waiting 
to  be  tamed.  Morse  and  Edison  and  Brush  made 
fortunes,  and  helped  the  world  forward  by  harnessing 
it.  Steam  is  no  stronger  to-day  than  it  was  a  thousand 
years  ago.  But  Watt  and  Stephenson  perceived  its 
expansive  powers,  and  then  screwed  it  to  the  wheat 
crop,  and  so  dragged  bread  into  the  market,  and  a 
fortune  into  their  own  pockets.  Coal  has  lain  in 
ledges  under  the  ground  since  the  flood.  But  its 
value  lies  in  having  it  on  the  hearth  and  in  the  fur 
nace.  Thus  it  becomes  a  portable  climate  ;  and  is 
the  means  of  transporting  itself  whithersoever  it  is 
wanted.  Are  not  those  who  made  the  discovery  en 
titled  to  large  profit  ?  In  enriching  themselves,  they 
blessed  us  alt.  The  craft  of  the  trader,  then,  lies  in 
bringing  things  from  the  spot  where  they  abound  in 
useless  quantities  to  the  place  of  use  and  need,  where 
they  have  value. 

Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  were  dealers  in  copper.  They 
imported  the  raw  material  and  worked  it  into  market 
able  forms  over  here.  A  rolling-mill  was  early  estab 
lished  in  Connecticut,  on  the  Naugatuck  River,  just  out 
of  the  town  of  Derby.  Soon  a  separate  village  grew 
up  around  this  industry,  which  was  incorporated  and 


146  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE.          / 

named  Ansonia,  after  Mr.  Anson  G.  Phelps.  The 
number  and  variety  of  their  manufactures  increased 
with  the  lapse  of  time,  until  they  grew  into  inde 
pendent  corporations  representing  millions  of  dollars. 
With  their  accustomed  prevision,  they  planted  a 
school  and  a  church  on  either  side  of  their  mill.  With 
the  growth  of  Ansonia  (it  now  numbers  five  thousand 
inhabitants)  and  the  increase  of  industries,  the  educa 
tional  and  religious  facilities  have  multiplied,  until 
now  the  village  abounds  in  schools  and  churches. 
Who  can  envy  a  prosperity  which  thus  clasps  to  its 
ample  bosom  and  lovingly  nurses  both  mind  and  soul  ? 

These  importers  were  also  early  and  largely  con 
cerned  in  the  development  of  the  copper  mines  of 
America.  They  helped  to  lay  our  railroads  which 
should  make  them  accessible.  They  supported  mis 
sionaries  on  the  frontiers  where  the  miners  delved. 
They  are  among  the  fathers  of  the  Christian  civiliza 
tion  which  has  belted  Lake  Superior,  and  peopled 
those  former  solitudes  with  happy  labor. 

The  individual  members  of  the  firm  were  widely  in 
terested,  as  may  be  gathered  from  preceding  chap 
ters,  in  collaterals.  They  kept  up  a  piercing  look 
around  and  ahead.  During  the  period  now  under  re 
view,  Mr.  Dodge  visited  the  Lackawanna  Valley  in 
Pennsylvania.  If  there  exists  a  richer  mineral  region 
in  its  kind  on  earth,  it  remains  undiscovered.  The 
practised  New  Yorker  was  quick  to  perceive  its  re 
markable  resources.  He  saw  the  earth  fairly  bursting 
with  coal  and  iron  ore.  Early  in  the  'forties  a  couple 
of  Connecticut  Yankees,  the  brothers  Scranton 
(George  W.  and  Selden  T.),  entered  this  valley  and 
founded  the  city  which  bears  their  name — a  city 


SOURCES    OF    WEALTH.  147 

which  has  risen  in  thirty  years  from  a  country  cross 
roads  to  be  the  third  in  size  in  the  Keystone  State. 
The  Scrantons  were  in  the  day  of  small  things.  They 
had  started  an  iron  furnace  and  rolling-mill,  but  were 
hampered  by  the  lack  of  capital.  Coming  to  this  ham 
let,  Mr.  Dodge  was  introduced  to  these  operators,  who 
asked  him  to  aid  them  to  a  loan  of  $100,000,  to  secure 
which  they  offered  him  a  mortgage  upon  their  prop 
erty.  He  looked  over  the  ground  with  care,  was  im 
pressed  with  the  prospective  value  of  the  investment, 
liked  the  men,  and  hastening  back  to  New  York, 
called  a  meeting  of  merchants  at  his  office,  and  sub 
mitted  his  report.  He  suggested  the  formation  of  a 
company  which  should  develop  the  valley,  with  Scran- 
ton  as  a  center.  Mr.  Phelps  was  the  first  subscriber, 
Mr.  Dodge  was  the  second.  Such  was  the  beginning 
of  the  famous  Lackawanna  Iron  and  Coal  Company. 
The  one  hundred  thousand  people  whose  homes  are 
now  in  Scranton  ought  to  put;  the  statue  of  William 
E.  Dodge  in  their  public  square. 

Laying  down  the  telescope,  this  indefatigable  man 
took  up  the  microscope,  and  looking  through  it  saw 
some  things  at  home  which  required  attention. 

For  one  thing,  the  clerks  of  New  York  were  in  want 
of  an  adequate  library  and  reading  room.  Many  of 
them  came  from  households  of  narrow  means.  Un 
less  some  outside  provision  should  be  made,  they  were 
in  danger  of  growing  up  in  ignorance  of  those  facts 
and  fancies  which  books  supply.  Moreover,  not  a  few 
of  the  young  men  who  held  clerkships  came  from  the 
country,  were  residing  in  boarding  houses,  and  sleep 
ing  in  hall-rooms  about  as  large  as  a  Saratoga  trunk 
— had  to  go  out  of  the  room  to  turn  around.  Their 


148  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

evenings  must  be  seen  to,  or  else  they  might  float  off 
to  moral  shipwreck  on  the  lee-shore  of  the  brothel  and 
grog-shop.  A  commodious  reading-room,  always  open, 
in  which  the  daily  and  weekly  journals  and  the  maga 
zines  could  be  found  at  nominal  cost,  and  where  their 
fellows  of  similar  tastes  could  gather,  offered  a  hopeful 
prospect  of  relief.  Accordingly,  he  bestirred  himself. 
The  Mercantile  Library  was  formed.  In  1853  it  took 
possession  of  Clinton  Hall,  on  Astor  Place,  where 
the  main  library  and  reading-room  were  domiciled. 
Mr.  Dodge  became  a  trustee,  and  was  for  a  time 
treasurer.  The  institution  answered,  and  continues 
to  answer  its  purpose  admirably.  It  now  has  5,106 
members.  Upon  its  shelves  are  223,968  volumes. 
The  annual  income  is  $30,349.  It  is  one  of  the  recog 
nized  sights  and  powers  of  the  metropolis. 

For  another  thing,  Mr.  Dodge  discovered  that  mu 
nicipal  affairs  were  in  a  bad  way.  Through  the  pre 
occupation  and  consequent  neglect  of  the  better 
classes,  the  most  concerned  in  good  government,  and 
from  whose  purses  the  most  part  of  the  taxes  came, 
the  city  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  political  pick 
pockets  and  cut-throats.  The  City  Hall  was  the  head 
quarters  of  corruption.  The  departments  were  filled 
with  heelers.  The  police  force  was  composed  of  ruffians. 
The  revenues  rose  in  the  treasury,  flowed  through  the 
hands  of  the  politicians,  and  emptied  into  the  slums. 

An  indignation  meeting  was  held  in  the  winter  of 
1852.  Mr.  Dodge  was  among  the  speakers.  He  said  : 

"  I  appear  before  you,  fellow-citizens,  not  so  much  to  make  a 
speech  as  to  make  a  confession.  For  years  I  have  been  finding 
fault,  and  talking  against  the  extravagant  expenditures  of  our 
city  government ;  at  the  same  time  I  was  so  disgusted  with  the 


SOURCES    OF    WEALTH.  149 

political  management  of  our  municipal  elections  that  I  was 
quite  satisfied  with  simply  voting  the  regular  ticket  of  the  party, 
without  any  knowledge  of  the  men,  or  any  feeling  of  respon 
sibility  in  regard  to  them.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  I  am  also 
describing  the  position  of  many  others. 

"  As  merchants  we  have  been  especially  guilty  in  this  respect. 
We  have,  perhaps,  as  a  general  thing,  on  our  way  down-town, 
stopped  at  the  grocery  where  the  polls  were  held,  and  deposited 
our  vote  ;  but  few  of  us  have  taken  any  part  in  choosing  right 
candidates  and  securing  their  election.  This  has  been  left  to 
men  who  make  politics  their  business,  and  who,  as  a  rule, 
select  officers  pledged  beforehand  to  carry  out  certain  party 
measures,  or  to  find  places  in  the  city  departments  for  those 
who  have  been  most  active  in  the  canvass,  and  if  there  are  no 
places,  to  secure  for  them  a  good  contract  or  an  interest  in 
some  sale  of  city  property.  We  need  not  wonder  things  have 
gone  on  so  ruinously  when  men  who  have  paid  the  bills  have 
felt  no  responsibility  to  look  after  those  who  have  expended  the 
money.  \Ve  pay  our  taxes  to  carry  on  the  legitimate  objects  of 
city  control  and  improvement,  not  to  reward  this  or  that  man 
for  political  management.  Every  one  in  this  house  has  a  direct 
interest  in  securing  an  honest,  economical  city  government.  We 
all  know  that  the  real  tax-payers  are  not  the  property  holders 
only,  but  those  also  who  occupy  property,  The  poor  man  who 
sees  his  rent  annually  growing  larger,  may  find  the  reason  for  it 
in  this  increase  of  taxes.  The  prosperity  of  our  city  is  not  to  be 
promoted  by  making  living  dear,  but  cheap.  A  few  years 
more  of  such  public  wastefulness,  and  we  shall  find  other 
places  around  us  growing  up  at  our  expense." 

His  interest  in  city  affairs  thus  awakened  and  ex 
pressed  never  afterwards  lapsed  into  indifference.  At 
this  time  he  devoted  his  means  and  influence  to  the 
correction  of  abuses.  We  shall  find  him,  later  on, 
again  arrayed  as  the  determined  foe  of  municipal 
malfeasance. 


CHAPTER    II. 

CHANGES. 

HOWEVER  wise,  enterprising,  precautious  a  man  may 
be,  there  are  certain  tremendous  interruptions  against 
which  he  can  protect  neither  himself  nor  his  loved 
ones.  Accident,  sickness,  death  will  break  in. 

"  There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  how  we  will." 

This  "  divinity  "  the  thoughtless  call  chance,  and 
the  thoughtful  Providence.  Under  that  Sovereign 
Sceptre,  the  law  of  life  is  a  law  of  change.  Time  and 
vicissitude  are  inexorably  united.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dodge  had  already  recognized  and  bowed  to  this 
mysterious  principle,  once,  twice,  thrice,  in  their  domes 
tic  affairs  ;  for  their  nursery  had  been  visited  by  the 
angel  of  death  three  times.  They  were  now  again, 
though  differently,  called  upon  to  realize  the  uncer 
tainty  and  instability  of  human  things. 

On  the  23d  of  April,  1852,  Mr.  Dodge  lost  his 
father.  The  old  gentleman  was  in  his  seventy-ninth 
year  when  he  fell  asleep.  Reference  has  been  made 
in  an  earlier  chapter  to  his  character.  He  preserved 
his  faculties  to  the  last,  and,  like  Moses,  "  his  eye  was 
not  dimmed,  nor  his  natural  force  abated."  Indeed, 
he  was  yet  in  active  service,  being  an  elder  of  the 


CHANGES.  151 

Fourteenth  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  con 
stant  attendance  upon  the  meetings  of  the  session, 
though  his  more  worldly  interests  were  laid  aside. 
He  lived  to  see  his  son  in  mid-career  of  eminence  and 
usefulness.  Those  principles  of  diligence  and  exacti 
tude  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  whether  human  or 
divine,  which  he  embodied,  he  beheld  reproduced  and 
more  illustriously  exemplified  in  the  splendid  man 
hood  now  in  its  prime.  Happy  father  !  Happy  son  ! 
For  William  E.  Dodge  could  trace  back  his  own 
efficiency  in  business  and  uprightness  in  moral  char 
acter  to  the  precepts  and  practice  of  his  sire.  He 
liked  to  relate  an  anecdote  which  showed  the  honor 
able  nature  of  the  elder  Dodge.  An  opportunity 
once  presented  itself  of  purchasing  a  plot  of  ground 
on  which  stood  a  valuable  mine,  of  the  existence  of 
which  the  owner  was  ignorant.  He  positively  re 
fused  to  profit  by  that  ignorance,  deeming  it  incon 
sistent  with  the  Golden  Rule.  The  son's  appreciation 
of  the  father's  scruples  displayed  their  moral  kinship. 
And  now  having  committed  the  mortal  part  of  the 
immortal  to  its  final  resting  place,  the  son's  next  duty 
and  welcome  task  was  to  care  for  and  comfort  his 
aged  mother.  He  took  her  to  his  own  home,  and 
made  it  her  home  during  the  remaining  years  of  her 
pilgrimage.  Here  everything  that  could  be  done  for 
her  comfort  and  cheer  was  eagerly  attended  to  by 
him — an  effort  in  which  his  wife  lovingly  cooperated. 
After  all,  filial  piety  is  Christian  piety.  Alas  !  for  the 
man  or  woman  who  shadows  the  last  days,  and  chills 
the  broken  remnant  of  a  parent's  life  by  ingratitude 
and  neglect  !  Blessed  are  he  and  she  who  are  per 
mitted  to  make  an  ungrudged  place  for  father  or 


152  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

mother  beside  their  own  hearthstone,  and  to  kiss  the 
tired  eyelids  down  at  last  ! 

The  next  year  (Nov.  2oth,  1853)  Mr.  Anson  G. 
Phelps  was  called  to  his  last  home.  In  this  affliction 
Mr.  Dodge  was  twice  smitten — through  his  wife, 
whose  father  thus  vanished  from  her  sight,  and 
through  his  own  affections  and  interests  with  which 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  was  almost  inextricably 
interwoven.  This  made  him  the  senior,  and  threw 
upon  him  a  seriously  increased  responsibility,  while 
depriving  him  of  the  most  capable  and  indefatigable 
of  associates.  For  not  only  was  he  burdened  with 
the  care  of  the  enterprises  in  which  they  had  been 
jointly  concerned  (enterprises  of  immense  outreach), 
but  as  he  had  been  an  executor  of  his  late  chief's 
estate,  and  as,  under  the  will,  the  large  part  of  his 
property  was  directed  to  be  held  together  and  not 
distributed  until  years  later,  he  found  himself  under 
obligation  to  take  on,  in  addition  to  his  own  diversi 
fied  and  exhaustive  individual  affairs,  the  manage 
ment  of  another's  concerns,  always  a  difficult  and  de 
licate  task  ;  to  one  of  his  sensitive  disposition,  pecu 
liarly  so.  That  he  was  able  to  discharge  this  trust  to 
the  perfect  satisfaction  of  the  numerous  heirs,  speaks 
volumes  for  his  capacity  and  for  his  conscience. 

Mr.  Phelps  fell  in  the  battle  of  life  in  his  seventy- 
third  year — fell  on  the  battle-field.  It  is  true  that  his 
health  had  been  failing  for  several  years,  but  he  was 
able  quite  to  the  end  to  direct  his  business  and  aid 
his  beneficiaries.  He  had  the  gratification  of  behold 
ing  the  house  he  had  founded,  known  and  honored 
from  Calcutta  to  San  Francisco  ;  of  honestly  amassing 
one  of  the  largest  fortunes  of  his  generations  ;  of  ad- 


CHANGES.  153 

ministering  this  wealth  with  a  lavish  yet  discrimin 
ating  hand,  and  best  of  all,  in  his  judgment,  of  seeing 
all  his  children  gathered  into  the  Christian  fold,  and 
started  upon  careers  of  usefulness  and  honor — 
careers  which  his  grandchildren  have  continued.1 

"  From  first  to  last,"  writes  the  late  distinguished 
Professor  Henry  B.  Smith,  who  knew  him  intimately, 
"  he  was  a  giver  ;  at  last  in  princely  donations,  but 
from  the  first  in  equal  proportion  to  his  means.  The 
first  twenty  dollars  he  could  call  his  own  he  gave  to 
the  support  of  an  indigent  student.  The  first  sixty 
dollars  he  earned  after  he  went  into  business  for  him 
self  were  given  to  the  outfit  of  a  missionary.  With 
the  growth  of  his  estate  his  heart  was  also  enlarged  ; 
and  there  was  hardly  an  object  of  modern  philan 
thropy  to  which  he  did  not  contribute  freely."2 

In  his  latter  days  he  was  an  elder  in  the  old  Mercer 


1  His  only  son,  Anson  G.  Phelps,  Junior,  did  not  inherit  his 
mercantile  talent.  The  young  man  had  an  interest  in  the  firm,  but 
never  participated  actively  in  the  business.  He  was  retiring  and 
scholarly  in  his  tastes  and  habits,  with  three  passions — books, 
music  and  benevolence.  His  library  was  superb.  He  played  the 
organ  like  a  master.  And  the  sums  he  gave  away  would  aggregate 
a  fortune.  He  followed  his  father  to  the  grave  in  1858. 

The  daughters  of  Mr.  Phelps  married  well  and  happily.  Of  his 
grandchildren,  several  are  widely  and  honorably  known,  viz.:  D. 
Willis  James,  now  of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.,  and  Anson  P.  and 
Boudenot  C.  Atterbury,  the  first  a  successful  New  York  pastor,  the 
second  a  missionary. 

Mrs.  Phelps,  a  strong  and  original  character,  and  profoundly  re 
ligious,  survived  both  her  husband  and  her  son.  She  died  in  1859, 
in  her  seventy-sixth  year.  One  of  the  best  of  wives  and  mothers, 
her  husband  trusted  her  in  all  things,  and  her  children  rise  up  and 
call  her  blessed. 

*  A  Memoir  of  A.  G.  Phelps,  Jr.,  p.  30. 


154  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Street  Presbyterian  Church — then  the  banner  church 
in  Christian  work  and  benevolence  in  the  metropolis, 
whose  annual  contributions  for  charitable  and  re 
ligious  purposes  rose  to  thirty  thousand  dollars.  In 
its  membership  were  honored  judges  of  the  courts, 
eminent  advocates,  distinguished  alike  at  the  bar  and 
in  political  life,  merchants  whose  plans  reached  to 
every  continent,  physicians  of  international  reputa 
tion  ;  most,  or  all,  of  whom  Mr.  Phelps  counted  among 
his  friends.  He  left  to  his  immediate  family  a  regal 
fortune,  while  his  outside  bequests  were,  at  that  date, 
of  almost  unexampled  magnitude,  aggregating  six 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  ' 


1  "  He  left  to  the  American  Bible  Society,  $100,000;  to  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  $100,000; 
to  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  $100,000;  to  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  $5,000;  to  the  Auburn  Theological  Semin 
ary,  $3,000;  to  the  New  York  Institution  for  the  Blind,  $5,000;  to 
the  New  York  Half  Orphan  Asylum,  $1,000;  $50,000  to  a  College 
in  Liberia  (in  case  $100,000  were  raised  for  the  same  purpose),  for 
a  theological  department  under  the  supervision  of  the  Union  Theo 
logical  Seminary  of  New  York;  $1,000  to  the  Congregational 
Church  in  Simsbury,  his  native  place;  to  the  New  York  State 
Colonization  Society,  $5,000.  Besides  this  he  devised  to  each  of 
his  grandchildren  living  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  (numbering 
twenty-four,)  $5,000,  to  be  paid  when  they  severally  attained  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  the  interest  of  which  was  to  be  sacredly 
devoted  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 

"  Not  included  in  his  will  was  a  donation  to  his  son  of  one  hun 
dred  thousand  dollars,  made  in  a  note,  payable  five  years  after 
Jan.  i,  1854;  the  interest  of  which  sum  was  to  be  expended  "  for 
the  spread  of  the  everlasting  Gospel,"  while  the  principal  was  to 
be  securely  invested,  and  at,  or  before  the  son's  decease  to  be 
divided  equally  between  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions  and  the  American  Bible  Society." — A  Memoir  of 
A.  G.  Phelps,  Jr.,  by  H.  B.  Smith, pp.  112,  113. 


CHANGES.  155 

Mr.  Dodge  considered  it  among  the  happiest  of  his 
happinesses  that  he  had  been  connected  with  such  a 
man.  His  influence  upon  the  junior  partner's  life  is 
beyond  estimation.  His  broad  mind,  his  mental 
grasp,  his  quick  decision,  his  large  experience,  his 
fervent  piety,  his  attractive  personality,  his  liberal 
habit,  gave  tone  and  direction  to  his  son-in-law  at  an 
impressionable  age — started  him  aright,  and  then 
guided  him  along  the  way.  He  felt  that  in  losing 
him,  he  had  lost  another  self.  The  world  seemed 
lonelier,  the  path  more  difficult. .  His  responsibilities 
were  increased,  his  means  divided.  The  fine  quality 
of  the  man,  the  scope  of  his  mercantile  genius,  is 
shown  by  the  manner  in  which  he  measured  up  to 
the  occasion. 

In  1854,  feeling  the  need  of  a  change  of  scene  after 
the  excitement  and  strain  of  these  readjustments,  and 
combining  business  with  pleasure,  Mr.  Dodge  again 
crossed  the  ocean.  His  wife  accompanied  him.  The 
tour  was  brief  and  uneventful,  but  they  witnessed 
Queen  Victoria's  royal  entrance  into  Paris  on  the  oc 
casion  of  her  first  visit  to  Napoleon  III. — "  Napoleon 
the  Little]'  as  Victor  Hugo  nick-named  him,  in  con 
tradistinction  to  the  hero  of  Austerlitz  and  prisoner 
of  St.  Helena.  The  great  Napoleon  was  little  enough. 
He  was  one  day  searching  for  a  book  in  his  library, 
and  at  last  discovered  it  on  a  shelf  somewhat  above 
his  reach.  Marshal  Montcey,  one  of  the  tallest  men 
in  the  army,  stepped  forward,  saying  :  "  Permit  me, 
sire,  I  am  higher  than  your  majesty."  "  You  are 
longer,  Marshal,"  replied  the  emperor  with  a  frown. 


CHAPTER   III. 

IN    THE    COUNTING-ROOM. 

Now,  as  Mr.  Dodge  takes  his  place  as  chief  of  his 
firm,  it  will  be  interesting  to  follow  him  through  the 
routine  of  a  business  day.  Any  soldier  looks  martial 
on  parade.  How  does  he  carry  himself  on  the  battle 
field  ?  Let  us  watch  this  merchant  when  under  fire. 

At  this  period  of  his  life  he  left  home  at  about  half- 
past  eight,  and  riding  down  town,  sometimes  in  a 
buggy,  oftener  on  horse  back,  reached  Cliff  Street  at 
nine  o'clock.  Greeting  his  subalterns  with  a  pleasant 
smile  and  a  cheerful  "  good  morning,"  (he  was  never 
too  hurried  to  be  polite),  he  entered  his  private  office, 
seated  himself,  and  at  once  began  to  open  and  read 
the  mail  placed  by  a  clerk  on  his  desk,  and  awaiting 
his  arrival.  It  was  always  large.  And  miscellaneous, 
too  ;  for,  of  course,  these  letters  covered  the  whole 
field  of  his  operations  in  business  and  benevolence. 
As  he  opens  and  reads  them,  he  keeps  up  a  brisk  fusil 
lade  of  questions  and  answers.  Matters  of  import 
ance  are  quickly  disposed  of,  if  he  has  some  acquain 
tance  with  them  ;  otherwise  the  communications  are 
laid  aside  for  more  deliberate  consideration.  Simul 
taneously  a  Secretary  is  busily  engaged  in  noting 
down  "points"  for  answers  caught  from  his  lips. 
Then  he  outlines  matters  for  the  day,  leaving  to  the 
juniors  the  task  of  giving  his  directions  definite  shape. 


IN    THE    COUNTING-ROOM.  157 

Presently,  a  pile  of  checks  is  brought  in  to  receive  his 
signature.  Dipping  his  pen  in  the  ink,  he  begins  to 
write  what  shall  give  them  value,  when  a  clerk  an 
nounces  the  names  or  lays  before  him  the  cards  of 
early  visitors.  Without  pausing,  he  says  : 

"  Show  them  in  in  the  order  of  their  arrival." 

These  callers  are  an  invariable  incident  of  the  morn 
ing.  They  come  from  every  whither,  represent  all 
varieties  of  interests,  speculative  and  philanthropic, 
legitimate  and  illegitimate,  American  and  foreign,  and 
would  like  each  one  to  occupy  the  entire  forenoon  in 
leisurely  conversation.  But  time  is  too  valuable  for 
that. 

In  the  treatment  of  these  people  Mr.  Dodge's  man 
ner  is  a  study.  He  is  always  courteous,  singularly  so 
for  a  man  acting  under  such  pressure.  He  is  never 
ruffled,  invariably  motions  the  incomer  to  the  chair 
beside  his  desk,  and  asks  pleasantly  : 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you  to-day  ?  " 

Often  the  reply  is  general,  and  the  man  goes  off,  or 
starts  to  go  off,  on  a  preliminary  excursion.  The 
merchant,  in  this  case,  brings  him  to  the  point  with  a 
polite  incisiveness  born  of  long  practice. 

"  Mr.  Dodge,  I  would  like  to  occupy  half  an  hour 
of  your  time  in  explaining  a  plan  ".  .  .  . 

"  Half  an  hour  !  "  breaks  in  the  merchant.  "  I  can 
give  you  just  five  minutes  this  morning.  Please  come 
right  to  the  point." 

Meantime,  he  goes  straight  ahead  signing  those 
checks.  But  the  tone  is  so  cordial  that  no  offence  can 
be  taken. 

It  may  be  that  the  matter  referred  to  him  is  quite 
outside  his  sphere. 


158  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

If  so,  it  is  summarily,  but  always  kindly,  dispatched, 
and  the  visitor  is  railroaded  to  the  door — how,  when, 
he  does  not  exactly  know.  Only  he  finds  himself 
there  ! 

Next  enters  a  fellow  who  proposes  to  do  business 
with  Mr.  Dodge  on  the  principle  of  the  Irishman  who 
came  into  a  grocery  and  asked  for  a  loaf  of  bread, 
which  was  accordingly  placed  before  him.  As  if  sud 
denly  changing  his  mind,  he  declared  that  he  would 
prefer  a  glass  of  whiskey.  This  he  drank  off,  and, 
pushing  the  loaf  towards  the  shopkeeper,  was  depart 
ing  when  demand  of  payment  was  made  for  the 
—whiskey.  "  Sure,  and  haven't  I  given  ye  the 
loaf  for  the  whiskey  ?  "  "  Well,  but  you  didn't  pay 
for  the  loaf,  you  know."  "True,  and  why  should  I? 
Don't  you  see,  I  didn't  take  the  loaf,  man  alive?" 
And  away  he  walked,  leaving  the  dealer  in  a  brown 
study.  But  in  cases  of  this  kind  Mr.  Dodge  was 
never  "  left."  He  had  a  short  method  with  proposers 
of  unworthy  projects,  and  with  them  came  as  near 
brusqueness  as  his  nature  would  allow.  With  illegi 
timate  business  of  any  kind,  however  promising,  by 
whomsoever  suggested,  he  had  no  dealings. 

Other  callers  bring  to  his  notice  affairs  connected 
with  his  proper  line,  and  these  are  consulted  with  and 
variously  satisfied.  Then,  perhaps,  he  is  confronted 
by  a  professor  who  wants  aid  for  his  college,  or  by  a 
clergyman  who  seeks  help  for  his  church,  or  by  the 
secretary  of  a  benevolent  society  who  craves  assistance 
on  behalf  of  his  organization,  whose  important  work, 
etc.,  etc.,  etc.  These  are  patiently,  if  briefly,  heard, 
and  aided  or  dismissed  unaided,  according  to  the  case. 
In  dealing  with  this  class  of  objects,  Mr.  Dodge  loved 


IN    THE    COUNTING-ROOM.  159 

to  give  conditionally.  If  he  had  not  much  faith,  he 
would  say  :  "  I  will  give  you  the  last  $1,000" — feeling 
quite  sure  that  the  first  would  not  be  forthcoming.  If 
he  wanted  to  provoke  others  to  good  works,  and  arouse 
effort  (a  favorite  method  with  him),  he  would  say  :  "  I 
will  be  one  of  twenty  to  give  such  and  such  a  sum." 

Another  of  his  callers  craves  a  loan.  Mr.  Dodge 
seldom  loaned  money.  He  thought  this  would  either 
cut  friendship  or  else  burden  the  applicant  with  the 
necessity  of  repayment.  Hence,  he  preferred  to  give 
outright  whatever  amount  he  believed  best,  and  thus 
clear  at  once  his  books  and  his  memory. 

Doubtless,  on  occasions  of  this  kind,  he  sympathized 
with  Douglass  Jerold,  who  was  once  solicited  by  a 
gentleman  for  a  subscription  on  behalf  of  a  mutual 
acquaintance  frequently  in  the  market  as  a  borrower 
of  money  :  "  Well,  how  much  does  he  want  this 
time?"  "  Why,  just  a  four  and  two  naughts  will,  I 
think,  put  him  straight."  "  Very  well,"  replied  Jer 
old,  "  put  me  down  to-day  for  one  of  the  naughts  !  " 
But  Mr.  Dodge  made  special  conscience  of  this  mat 
ter.  He  always  gave  an  applicant  the-  benefit  of  a 
doubt,  and  occasionally  bestowed,  despite  his  suspi 
cion.  At  the  same  time,  though  a  generous,  he  was 
not  an  indiscriminate  giver.  True,  he  did  not  spend 
much  time  over  it — could  not.  But  he  was  a  quick 
and  accurate  judge  of  character.  He  measured  an 
applicant  at  a  glance.  Of  course,  he  was  sometimes 
deceived — who  is  not?  As  a  rule,  his  judgment  was 
excellent. 

The  last  of  his  visitors  this  morning,  calls  his  atten 
tion  to  a  new  religious  cause — new  to  him.  He  is 
interested,  he  says  : 


l6o  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

"  My  friend,  I  have  certain  moneys  which  belong  to 
the  Lord,  and  which  I  am  to  expend  for  him,  accord 
ing  to  my  judgment.  The  cause  you  speak  of  has 
never  before  come  to  my  knowledge.  I  will  look  into 
it.  If  an  examination  confirms  your  statement,  I  will 
send  you  a  check." 

His  callers  now  being  disposed  of,  he  turns  to  con 
sider  the  credits  of  the  house.  Here  he  is  lynx-eyed 
and  looks  into  every  detail  ;  methodical,  too,  and  ex 
act.  The  credit  of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  was  dear 
to  him  as  the  apple  of  his  eye — the  true  mercantile 
instinct.  He  watched  it,  guarded  it,  as  a  woman  does 
her  honor.  Indeed,  this  is  the  honor  of  a  man  of 
business. 

But  see,  the  pointers  on  the  dial  yonder  indicate 
high  noon.  It  is  time  to  visit  Wail  street,  a  daily 
event.  Exchanges  are  to  be  inquired  into,  both  home 
and  foreign,  and,  later,  letters  are  to  be  written  corre 
spondingly  for  the  domestic  mail  and  for  the  Euro 
pean  steamer  which  sails  to-morrow.  This  is  now 
unnecessary.  The  cable  brings  the  markets  of  the 
world  into  every  counting-room.  But  we  write  of  a 
time  before  the  telegraph  had  made  Europe  and 
America  next-door  neighbors. 

Mr.  Dodge  leaves  the  office  and  walks  with  elastic 
step  down  to  the  New  York  Rialto.  He  is  not  a  Shy- 
lock,  but  he  has  to  deal  with  many  who  are  closely 
related  to  that  exacting  manipulator.  He  visits  one 
or  two  of  the  banks  on  this  errand,  runs  into  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  spends  a  few  moments  in 
the  office  of  the  Lackawanna  Iron  and  Coal  Com 
pany.  Having  grasped  the  financial  situation,  he  next 
hurries  into  a  restaurant  and  snatches  a  bite  or  two, 


IN    THE    COUNTING-ROOM.  l6l 

standing.  Lunch  was  about  the  only  important  duty 
that  Mr.  Dodge  habitually  hurried  and  slighted.  He 
was  a  transgressor  here.  It  is  a  wonder  that  he  did 
not  wreck  his  digestion.  Nothing  saved  him  but  a 
unique  power  of  endurance.  He  confessed  his  sin,  but 
went  on  sinning — like  the  herd  of  sinners.  In  this  re 
gard  his  example  is  bad  and  unworthy  of  imitation. 
A  man,  and  particularly  a  man  whose  brains  are  his 
tools,  owes  it  to  his  health  to  take  time  for  his  meals, 
and  to  order  them  with  careful  method.  The  busi 
ness  of  America  is  transacted  by  dyspeptics.  The 
reason  ?  Hasty  and  hap-hazard  lunches  !  They  are 
wiser  in  London,  Paris,  Berlin,  Vienna.  We  should 
not  live  to  eat  ;  but  we  should  eat  to  live. 

Quitting  the  lunch-counter,  Mr.  Dodge  attends  one 
or  two  meetings  of  business  boards  in  which  he  is  a 
director,  participating  in  the  discussion  and  helping 
to  decide  their  policies.  He  is  back  in  his  office  by 
two  o'clock.  From  this  hour  until  three  or  four 
o'clock  he  devotes  to  the  writing  of  letters,  postponed 
from  the  morning  and  now  shaped  agreeably  to  the 
intelligence  gleaned  on  Wall  Street ;  and  to  the  tying 
up  of  those  numberless  and  nameless  odds  and  ends 
which  active  trade  is  forever  untying. 

At  four  o'clock  he  says  :  "  good  afternoon,  gentle 
men,"  to  the  Cliff  Street  inmates,  and  walks  briskly 
out  to  attend  a  committee  meeting  of  the  "  National 
Temperance  Society,"  whence  he  speeds  to  sit  with  a 
committee  of  the  "American  Bible  Society."  He 
reaches  home  worn  in  body  and  jaded  in  mind  at  six 
o'clock,  after  being  on  the  rack  for  nine  mortal 
hours. 

The  horse  he  rides,   or  drives,  down-town  in   the 


162  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

morning,  and  up-tovvn  in  the  afternoon,  has  an  easier 
day  than  his  master. 

As  a  business  man,  Mr.  Dodge  was  prompt.  He 
let  nothing  lag.  In  Central  America  they  have  a 
saying,  "  Never  do  to-day  what  you  can  put  off  until 
to-morrow."  His  precept  and  practice  were  the 
reverse.  Every  day,  as  far  as  possible,  he  cleared  the 
docket.  He  often  repeated,  and  always  exemplified 
the  maxim  of  Chesterfield  :  "  Dispatch  is  the  soul  of 
business." 

He  was  systematic.  He  knew  that  system  lengthens 
the  hours,  and  brings  order  out  of  chaos.  As,  accord 
ing  to  Pope's  trite  line,  "  Order  is  heaven's  first  law," 
so  also  is  it  the  first  law  of  business.  This  he  never 
tired  of  impressing  upon  his  clerks. 

He  was  absolutely  honest.  No  one  can  truthfully 
lay  a  finger  upon  any  transaction  of  a  crooked  nature 
in  which  he  ever  consciously  engaged.  He  had  a 
fine  scorn  of  artful  and  underhanded  ways  and 
means.  He  was  chivalrous  in  this  regard,  and  gave 
rather  than  took  advantage— like  Bayard  or  Sidney, 
who  ceded  to  an  adversary  in  jousting  the  benefit  of 
wind  and  sun.  "  Give  value,  gentlemen,"  he  used  to 
say,  "  give  value." 

He  was  a  believer  in  men — not  always  in  esse,  but  in 
posse.  "  What  loneliness,"  queries  George  Eliot,  "  is 
more  lonely  than  distrust?"  He  recognized  the 
Divine  capabilities  of  human  nature.  Every  man 
was  to  him  a  son,  and  every  woman  a  daughter  of 
God,  by  creation  and  by  possible  recreation.  Hence, 
although  dealing  with  all  varieties  of  people,  driven 
to  see  the  innate  selfishness  of  all  and  the  devilish- 
ness  of  some,  he  preferred  to  fix  his  eyes  upon  their 


IN    THE    COUNTING-ROOM.  163 

better  traits.  As  Dr.  Arnold,  of  Rugby,  transformed 
his  most  unruly  boys  into  docile  pupils  6y  putting 
them  on  their  honor,  so  he  trusted  men,  made  them 
understand  that  he  did,  and  thus  made  them  trust 
worthy.  In  a  word,  the  religious  character  of  Mr. 
Dodge  conditioned,  impregnated  his  method  of  doing 
business,  gave  it  tone,  and  made  it  an  apostleship. 

Since  those  days,  a  new  and  stupendous  firm  has 
opened  shop — the  firm  of  Man,  Steam,  Electricity  & 
Co.  Business  has  been  revolutionized.  As  the  steamer 
replaced  the  "  packet "  ship,  so  the  telegraph  has 
displaced  the  steamer.  Steam  itself  is  now  too  slow. 
We  write  by  lightning.  We  speak  from  New  York 
to  Boston,  to  Philadelphia,  to  Chicago  along  the 
telephone.  We  already  send  packages  through 
pneumatic  tubes,  and  will  presently  travel  in  the 
same  way — dining  in  Europe  and  supping  in  America 
on  the  same  day.  -There  is  no  foretelling  where  or 
when  the  march  of  improvement  will  stop,  nor  what 
further  changes  it  will  introduce.  Mr.  Dodge  himself 
aided,  as  has  been  recorded,  in  starting,  and  joined 
in  first  using,  several  of  these  terrific  benefactors. 
They  made  his  counting-room  a  very  different  place 
when  he  left  it  from  what  it  was  when  he  entered  it — 
nothing  the  same  save  the  material  he  handled.  But 
he  was  a  man  of  mettle  as  well  as  a  metal  man.  He 
kept  step  to  the  crescendo  music  of  progress,  touched 
elbows  with  those  in  the  front  rank,  and  said  not  "  go 
on,"  but  "come  on!"  He  did  not  resemble  that 
captain  of  militia  in  the  civil  war  who  ordered  his 
company  to  charge,  and  then  got  behind  the  nearest 
stone  wall  to  see  how  it  worked.  The  charge  he 
ordered,  he  led. 


SIXTH      DECADE. 


(i855-65.     JET.  5o-6o.) 


CHAPTER    I. 

VARIOUS    EXPERIENCES. 

MR.  DODGE  was  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  in  the 
enjoyment  of  excellent  health,  and  crowned  with 
commercial  honors.  These  usually  come  not  as  aids 
to,  but  in  recognition  of,  success.  They  are  diplomas 
of  position. 

In  1855  he  became  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  with  which  his  late  father-in-law  and 
partner,  Mr.  Phelps,  had  connected  himself  thirty 
years  earlier.  This  body  was  organized  in  1768. 
Upon  its  rolls  are  the  names  of  the  most  eminent 
merchants  of  the  metropolis  in  each  decade.  Its 
history  is  the  history  of  New  York  enterprise  and 
dominance  in  business.  It  has  long  been  the  most 
influential  mercantile  society  on  this  side  of  the 
water — a  collective  potentate  swaying  a  sceptre 
unquestioned  within  its  realm.  Class  honors  are 
always  welcome  honors  to  members  of  the  class. 
When,  therefore,  not  many  twelve  months  after  he 
entered  it,  Mr.  Dodge  was  elected  First  Vice-President 
and  then  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  his 
preeminence  was  certified  by  his  own  set.  But  his 
value  to  commerce,  however  great,  is  not  to  be 
compared  with  his  value  to  man.  May  it  not  be 
better  said  that  it  is  this  double  value  which  places 
him  upon  a  unique  and  enviable  pedestal?  Other 


168  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

men  have  equalled  him  in  business.  Other  men  have 
equalled  him  in  philanthropy.  Where  is  his  equal  in 
both? 

He  was  now  residing  on  Murray  Hill,  in  the  center 
of  the  Knickerbocker  Belgravia.  He  built  the  house, 
a  grand,  roomy,  double  mansion,  and  fronted  it  upon 
Madison  Avenue,  which,  since  the  invasion  of  Fifth 
Avenue  by  trade,  has  become  the  thoroughfare  of  the 
elite.  Here  in  "  Dodge  Hall,"  as  his  home  came  to  be 
named,  surrounded  by  all  the  appliances  and  conven 
iences  of  wealth  and  metropolitan  culture,  he  was  to 
spend  the  remaining  years  of  his  life. 

In  1857  he  became  a  life-member  of  the  New  York 
Historical  Society,  whose  title  suggests  its  object  and 
the  character  of  its  clientele.  The  meetings  of  this 
body  he  frequently  attended  and  enjoyed.  His  own 
tastes  and  reading  ran  strongly  in  the  direction  of 
history  and  biography  (which  is  a  department  of  his 
tory).  A  shrewd  student  of  his  own  times,  he  availed 
himself  of  any  opportunity  to  acquaint  himself  with 
other  times. 

His  study  of  the  past  and  knowledge  of  the  present 
made  him  hopeful.  His  temperament  and  Bible  would 
have  done  this  anyhow.  Men  are  hopeful  or  despondent 
largely  according  to  temperament  ;  and  for  the  rest 
according  to  standpoint.  Viewed  from  one  side, 
things  appear  to  be  going  from  bad  to  worse.  Viewed 
from  the  other  side,  all  life  is  seen  to  be  a  develop 
ment  out  of  darkness  into  light.  Both  views  are  im 
portant.  But  since  God  lives  and  reigns,  it  should 
seem  that  upward  and  onward  must  be  the  law  of 
Providence.  Milton's  picture  of  the  lion  at  the  crea 
tion,  with  head  and  fore-feet  disentangled  from  the 


VARIOUS    EXPERIENCES.  169 

soil  and  "  pawing  to  get  free  his  hinder  parts,"  ex 
actly  images  the  condition  of  the  world  to-day. 
Affairs  often  seem  worse  than  they  were  because  they 
are  not  better  than  they  are.  Our  moral  sense  is 
keener  now  than  ever  before.  We  see  evils  where  our 
fathers  saw  virtues — or  nothing  at  all.  Mr.  Dodge 
could  never  be  persuaded  that  popular  government, 
free  schools,  abounding  churches,  annually  increas 
ing  thousands  of  Christians,  the  dawn  of  the  layman's 
age,  "  science  lighting  her  torch,"  in  Lord  Bacon's 
phrase,  "  at  every  man's  candle,"  the  better  homes, 
and  purer  social  life  of  the  nineteenth  century — were 
so  many  clean  victories  for  the  devil.  He  scouted 
the  notion  that  the  railroad  has  backed  us  into 
the  dark  ages.  He  did  not  take  a  dose  of  optimism 
as  an  opiate  and  doze  off  to  sleep.  He  knew  he  had 
a  duty  to  perform.  But  his  hopefulness  led  him  to 
throw  himself  into  religious  and  benevolent  work 
with  untiring  energy.  He  felt  that  he  was  on  the 
winning  side.  He  was  wont  to  quote  the  Biblical 
question  :  "  If  God  be  for  us  who  can  be  against  us  ? " 
So  he  continued  to  reside  on  the  sunny  side  of  the 
street  of  life. 

In  1858  business  and  family  ties  combined  to  call 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  to  Europe  once  more.  Hereto 
fore  circumstances  had  limited  their  travels  to  Great 
Britain  and  France.  On  this  occasion,  having  more 
time  at  their  disposal,  and  aided  by  railroads,  they 
extended  their  tour.  One  of  Mrs.  Dodge's  sisters, 
Mrs.  William  B.  Kinney,  was  residing  in  Italy,  her 
husband  being  the  United  States  charge  L? affairs  at 
the  Court  of  Turin.  Their  official  state  enabled  them 
to  chaperon  the  tourists  through  Italy  delightfully. 


170  WILLIAM     K.     DODC.K. 

While  acknowledging  the  charms  of  the  Continent, 
the  merchant  and  his  wife  agreed  in  preferring  Eng 
land,  of  which  they  were  very  fond,  and  where  they 
felt  almost  as  much  at  home  as  in  America. 

On  returning  to  New  York,  Mr.  Dodge  found  that 
important  interests  required  his  attention  at  the 
South.  He  started,  with  Mrs.  Dodge  at  his  side,  and 
attended  by  quite  a  retinue  of  friends.  The  party 
reached  a  junction  a  few  miles  out  of  Charleston,  in 
South  Carolina,  on  a  Saturday  night,  too  late  to  get 
into  the  city.  But  they  were  told  that  they  could  run 
in  on  Sunday.  This  did  not  at  all  agree  with  the 
habits  of  Sunday  observance  preached  and  practiced 
by  these  Puritans.  They  resolved  to  spend  the  Lord's 
day  there  at  the  junction  ;  not  an  attractive  spot,  but 
more  attractive  than  divine  law  breaking,  they 
thought.  There  was  a  wayside  inn  just  large  enough 
for  their  accommodation.  On  Sunday  morning  the 
New  Yorkers  held  a  service  in  the  dining-room.  Many 
negroes  crowded  to  the  door  and  windows,  attracted 
by  the  singing.  Some  of  these,  when  the  meeting 
closed,  asked  Mr.  Dodge  to  open  the  dining-hall  to 
them  for  evening  worship.  He  gladly  consented  and 
led  the  meeting.  After  a  few  remarks  and  a  prayer, 
he  threw  it  open,  and  the  blacks  carried  it  forward  in 
hallelujah  measure.  Their  weird  melodies,  their 
forms  swaying  to  the  cadence  of  the  music,  their  fer 
vent  prayers,  broken  in  upon  and  emphasized  by  the 
"  amens"  and  "  bless  de  Lords"  of  the  sympathetic 
congregation — all  made  a  picture  which  the  memory 
framed  and  treasured.  The  emotional  nature  of  the 
negro  race  leads  them  into  affiliation  with  the  more 
emotional  churches.  They  love  to  be  where  they  can 


VARIOUS    EXPERIENCES.  iyi 

explode  their  feelings  in  ejaculations.  One  old  man, 
a  Presbyterian  elder,  and  the  only  one  in  the  whole 
region,  thus  expressed  it  :  "  We's  Methodists  and 
Baptists  by  nature  and  only  Presbyterians  by  grace  !  " 
Mr.  Dodge  quite  won  the  hearts  of  these  poor  slaves 
by  his  unaffected  kindness  ;  and  on  Monday  when  he 
and  his  party  were  about  to  take  the  train,  an  old 
colored  "  aunty  "  voiced  the  feelings  of  her  people  in  a 
benediction  : 

"  De  Lord  bless  yer,  Mas'r  Dodge,  all  de  way  from 
dis  'airth  to  heaven  !  " 

That  blessing,  trembling  from  those  poor  black  lips, 
meant  more  and  would  go  further  than  many  more 
pretentious  ones. 

Mr.  Dodge  loved  to  transact  business  for  God  at  the 
same  time  that  he  transacted  business  for  himself. 
Travelling  often  and  over  long  distances  as  he  did,  he 
always  devoted  the  Sunday  to  religious  uses.  His 
first  inquiry  was  invariably  for  the  nearest  church, 
and  his  next  was  after  the  Sunday-School.  Few  were 
the  Sundays  which  he  spent  away  from  home,  when 
he  did  not  address  the  children  in  the  afternoon,  and 
work  up  and  work  in  a  meeting  for  temperance  in  the 
evening.  His  pockets  were  a  tract  repository.  He 
had  a  leaflet  in  a  man's  hand  before  he  knew  it  ;  and 
could  wind  down  in  a  conversation  from  business  to 
religion  so  easily  and  naturally  that  there  was  no 
sense  of  abruptness,  no  disagreeable  contrast,-  no 
appearance  of  lugging  the  subject  in.  The  transi 
tion  seemed  timely  and  proper,  as  he  managed  it,  and 
was  a  most  effective  method  of  preaching  the  Gospel. 

On  this  very  trip  one  of  the  party  with  the  Dodges 
was  a  gentleman  who  had  no  church  leanings  or  long- 


I72  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

ings.  But  the  experience  of  this  tour,  the  evident 
earnestness  and  sincerity  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge,  their 
honest  attempt  to  live  what  some  only  talk,  so  wrought 
upon  him,  that  on  coming  back  to  New  York  he 
became  a  Christian.  Is  not  the  unconscious  influence 
which  comes  from  an  upright  and  downright  life  the 
most  convincing  and  convicting  of  all  ? 


CHAPTER    II. 

PUBLIC      AFFAIRS. 

THIS  is  a  biography  of  William  E.  Dodge,  not  a 
history  of  his  times.  No  effort  has  been  made  to  go 
further  in  the  portrayal  of  public  affairs  than  might 
be  essential  to  the  appreciation  of  his  career.  But  as 
he  was  in  some  sense  a  public  man,  keenly  alive  to 
current  events  as  well  as  current  prices,  and  eminently 
public  spirited,  and  as  he  was  affected  by  and  helped 
to  affect  his  times,  it  is  now  necessary  to  summarize 
the  national  situation. 

The  Southern  States  of  the  Union  were  at  this  date 
slave-holding — an  inherited  curse.  The  Northern 
States  had  shaken  off  this  curse,  also  inherited  by 
them,  and  were  free.  The  South  held  slavery  to  be 
a  benign  institution  with  a  Divine  sanction.  The 
North  considered  it  an  economic  mistake  ;  and  an 
ever-enlarging  number  viewed  it  as  a  gigantic 
iniquity.  The  South  was  aristocratic.  The  North 
was  democratic.  The  South  believed  and  proclaimed 
that  capital  should  own  labor.  The  North  regarded 
labor  as  honorable,  and  the  laborer  as  worthy  of  his 
hire.  The  South  was  chronically  eager  and  greedy  to 
enlarge  the  slave-holding  area,  and  saw,  with  dismay, 
the  rapid  growth  of  the  North  in  numbers  and  wealth. 
The  North  recognized  the  fact  that  slavery  existed  in 
the  South  by  Constitutional  sanction,  consented 


174  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

(though  with  a  growing  protest)  to  its  right  to  be 
where  it  already  was,  but  insisted  that  it  should 
spread  no  further.  The  South  was  predominantly 
agricultural,  with  a  large  leisurely  and  educated 
class  habituated  to  govern,  and  intent  upon  continuing 
to  rule.  The  North  was  an  industrial  bee-hive, 
buzzing  with  various  industries,  and  willing  to  be 
governed,  if  the  South  would  only  keep  quiet  and  let 
it  attend  to  business.  The  South  was  the  spoiled 
child  of  the  national  household,  lording  it  at  Wash 
ington.  The  North  was  the  family  drudge,  and  paid 
the  bills.  The  South  had  the  courage  of  its  convic 
tions — knew  what  it  wanted,  and  wanted  it  with  a 
will.  The  North  was  timid  and  subservient  for  many 
disgraceful  years — reminds  one  of  Sterne's  donkey, 
whose  pitiful  attitude  seemed  to  invite  abuse,  and 
say  to  each  passer-by  :  "  Don't  kick  me.  But  if  you 
choose  to,  you  may  ;  it  is  perfectly  safe  !  " 

For  a  long  time  two  great  parties  divided  the 
country — the  Democratic  (so-called)  and  the  Whig. 
Both  were  pro-slavery  ;  the  Democratic  increasingly 
and  the  Whig  decreasingly  so.  Of  the  two,  the 
Democratic  was  the  larger  and  more  dominant  ;  made 
so  by  its  Southern  constituency,  where  it  outbid  its 
rival  in  servility  to  the  lords  of  the  plantation. 

Meantime,  the  tide  of  anti-slavery  feeling  in  the 
North  was  rising  to  the  flood,  caused  by  a  conscien 
tious  conviction  of  the  sinfulness  of  slavery,  by  the 
unceasing  efforts  of  the  slave-holders  to  fasten  the 
curse  upon  virgin  territory,  and  by  the  insolence  of 
the  Southern  oligarchy.  This  sentiment,  however, 
was  not  yet  abolitionist,  except  in  individual  cases. 
But  it  was  increasingly  determined. 


PUBLIC    AFFAIRS.  I?5 

In  America,  the  instinct  of  any  strong  feeling  is  to 
organize  for  political  action.  Naturally.  For  here 
the  ballot  is  a  human  omnipotence.  Every  voter  is  a 
sovereign.  He  can  vote  up  or  vote  down  what  he 
will.  In  Europe  discontent  is  driven  to  be  revolu 
tionary.  Banned  by  law,  under  police  surveillance, 
it  is  compelled  either  to  submit  or  to  conspire  and 
explode  bombs.  There  is  no  constitutional  vent.  The 
volcano  is  without  a  crater. 

"  We  have  a  weapon  firmer  set, 

And  better  than  the  bayonet ; 
A  weapon  that  comes  down  as  still 

As  snow  flakes  fall  upon  the  sod, 
Yet  executes  a  freemen's  will, 

As  lightning  does  the  will  of  God." 

To  this  tremendous  weapon  the  anti-slavery  senti 
ment  of  the  North  at  last  resorted.  In  1848  the 
"  Free  Soil  Party  "  was  organized.  Its  name  indicated 
its  purpose.  It  voiced  the  resolve  that  no  more  slave 
States  shoul'd  be  admitted  into  the  Union.  Its  maiden 
vote  was  ridiculously  small— so  small  that  the  rage 
provoked  by  its  organization  exploded  in  a  laugh. 
But  its  founders  had  come  into  the  political  arena  to 
stay.  They  thought,  if  they  did  not  say,  that  "  they 
laugh  best  who  laugh  last." 

In  the  presidential  election  of  1852  the  Democratic 
candidate,  Franklin  Pierce,  a  Northern  man  with 
Southern  principles,  was  successful.  His  election 
dissolved  the  Whig  party.  Through  these  years  the 
anti-slavery  feeling  in  the  WThig  party  had  been 
rapidly  developing  ;  and  when  that  party  went  to 
pieces  the  Southern  Whigs  went  over  into  the  Demo- 


176  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

cratic  camp,  while  the  Northern  Whigs,  in  large 
numbers,  demanded  the  organization  of  a  new  party 
on  the  basis  of  a  constitutional  resistance  to  the  slave 
power.  The  leaders  of  the  Free  Soil  Party  saw  the 
propriety  of  not  requiring  these  converts  to  enter  a 
body  with  which  they  had  been  in  antagonism. 
Accordingly,  a  new  party  was  formed,  and  adopted 
the  name  of  "  Republican."  Its  first  convention  met 
in  Philadelphia  on  the  xyth  of  June,  1856,  and 
nominated  John  C.  Fremont  as  president.  The  Demo 
cratic  candidate  was  James  Buchanan,  who  was 
elected  ;  but  only  after  an  earthquake  canvass,  which 
shook  the  continent. 

The  slave  question  was  now  the  paramount  subject 
of  national  consideration.  It  convulsed  politics.  It 
invaded  and  disturbed  commerce.  It  tore  asunder  the 
great  religious  denominations.  It  thundered  and 
lightened  in  the  press.  It  divided  families.  Every 
effort  to  organize  a  new  territory  and  admit  a  new 
State  was  an  occasion  for  bitter  discussion.  The 
attempt  to  enforce  an  infamous  statute  called  the 
"  Fugitive  Slave  Law  "  (by  which  it  was  sought  to 
force  back  into  the  hell  of  slavery  any  runaway  bond 
man  who  might  reach  the  North),  added  fresh  fuel  to 
the  flames. 

Come  down  to  1860.  In  the  autumn  of  this  year 
four  political  parties  took  the  field,  and  joined  fierce 
battle.  These  were  the  Republican  party,  with 
Abraham  Lincoln  as  its  standard  bearer  ;  the  Demo 
cratic  party,  now  hopelessly  split  into  two  warring 
factions,  the  one  led  by  Mr.  Breckenridge,  a  Southern 
fire-eater,  the  other  by  Mr.  Douglas,  an  adroit  North 
ern  politician,  with  no  particular  principles,  and  the 


PUBLIC    AFFAIRS.  177 

Union  party,  with  Mr.  Bell  at  its  head — a  political 
cave  of  Adulam,  into  which  those  men  had  run  who 
had  fallen  out  of  conceit  with  the  other  parties,  and 
yet  felt  it  necessary  to  go  somewhere. 

The  Republican  party  carried  the  day. 

Then  chaos  came  again.  The  Southern  leaders 
still  in  office  at  Washington,  (four  months  elapse 
between  an  election  and  the  advent  of  a  new  adminis 
tration),  plundered  the  national  treasury,  scattered  the 
navy  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  plundered  the 
arsenals,  stole  most  of  the  forts,  demoralized  the 
army — and  then  seceded  from  the  Union.  If  they 
could  not  rule  they  were  determined  to  ruin.  The 
animated  effigy  who  masqueraded  as  president  and 
bore  the  dishonored  name  of  Buchanan,  saw  all  this, 
and  permitted  it.  He  claimed  that  he  was  only  a 
public  "  functionary  "  with  no  authority  to  coerce  a 
sovereign  State.  He  was  the  despicable  tool  of  the 
South,  used  by  those  artificers  of  disunion  and  then 
thrown  away  in  disgust. 

Public  affairs  were  like  a  fog-bank  over  which  the 
thunder  rumbled  and  rent  by  flashes  of  lightning. 

In  the  midst  of  this  turmoil,  Mr.  Dodge  went  on  as 
best  he  could  with  his  business  and  with  his  philan 
thropies.  Of  course,  his  attention  was  often  and 
anxiously  attracted  to  the  battle  of  the  giants.  But 
he  held  aloof,  in  so  far  as  he  could,  until  forced  by 
conscience  and  events  to  take  part  in  it.  His  position 
was  like  that  of  the  Quaker  whom  the  poet  describes  : 

"  In  the  silent  protest  of  letting  alone, 
The  Quaker  kept  the  way  of  his  own  ; 
A  non-conductor  among  the  wires, 
With  coat  of  asbestos,  proof  to  fires." 


178  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Only  his  coat  was  not  quite  fire-proof.  He  had 
been  a  Whig,  with  anti-slavery  tendencies.  He  was 
very  much  interested  in  the  Colonization  Society,  and 
deemed  it  best  to  get  the  blacks  out  of  the  country— 
off  at  a  safe  salt  sea  distance.  The  absurdity  of 
expatriating  three  millions  of  people  striking  root  in 
American  soil  two  centuries  deep,  he  saw  eventually, 
but  not  at  the  start.  Afterwards,  he  used  to  say, 
with  a  laugh  :  "  Why,  all  the  shipping  of  the  world 
would  not  suffice  to  ferry  half  of  them  to  Africa  !  " 
Strange,  that  this  physical  impossibility  of  Coloniza 
tion  should  not  sooner  have  punctured  the  bubble. 

Mr.  Dodge  sympathized  with  the  struggle  to  keep 
slavery  out  of  the  territories.  He  looked  upon  that 
system  as  an  evil,  but  an  evil  which  God  would 
remove  in  some  way,  at  some  time — forgetting  that 
God  works  through  human  instrumentalities.  He 
loved  the  Union,  knew  its  value,  and  feared  the 
agitation  of  such  a  burning  question  would  disrupt  it. 
Hence  he  favored  prudence  and  quietude.  Then,  too, 
he  knew  and  was  attached  to  many  Southerners,  and 
these  social  and  business  ties  blinded  his  judgment 
and  controlled  his  feelings.  He  did  not  perceive  as 
early  as  he  might  have  done,  the  fact  to  which  Mr. 
Seward  called  attention,  that  there  was,  must  be,  an 
"  irrepressible  conflict"  between  tw.o  systems  so  radi 
cally  different  as  slave  labor  and  free  labor.  More 
over,  he  was  a  merchant.  The  spirit  of  commerce  is 
cautious  and  conservative.  Traders  are  seldom  re 
formers.  His  course  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Indeed, 
it  would  not  provoke  comment  were  it  not  at  variance 
with  his  position  towards  kindred  humanities.  No 
doubt  he  quieted  his  conscience  in  this  matter  by  his 


PUBLIC    AFFAIRS.  179 

interest  in  the  Colonization  Society  and  the  Republic 
of  Liberia,  from  which  he  hoped  great  things,  never 
realized.  It  must  be  confessed  that  he  was  not  as 
brave  and  uncompromising  before  King  Cotton  as  he 
was  before  King  Alcohol. 

In  the  presidential  contest  of  1860,  he  was  attracted 
at  the  outset  to  the  Union  party.  He  knew  and 
liked  the  candidates.  Mr.  Bell,  who  had  been  nomi 
nated  as  President,  was  a  thoroughly  respectable  non 
entity.  Mr.  Everett,  the  nominee  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent,  was  a  gentleman,  a  scholar,  an  orator,  at  home 
at  a  college  commencement,  very  much  abroad  in 
politics.  The  sounding  platform  of  the  Union  party, 
consisting  of  a  single  phrase,  "  The  Constitution  of 
the  Country,  the  Union  of  the  States,  and  the  En 
forcement  of  the  Laws,"  appealed  to  his  patriotism. 
But  as  the  canvass  proceeded  his  eyes  were  opened. 
With  his  wonted  candor  he  went  straight  over  into 
the  Republican  party.  He  voted  for  Abraham 
Lincoln. 


CHAPTER    III. 

EFFORTS      FOR      PEACE. 

ALTHOUGH  he  had  identified  himself  with  the 
Republican  party,  Mr.  Dodge,  in  the  nightmare 
months  that  followed  the  presidential  election  of 
1860,  continued  and  redoubled  his  efforts  for  peace. 
Public  opinion  on  both  sides  of  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line  was  steadily  drifting  towards  hostility.  But 
with  his  accustomed  hopefulness  he  believed  it  possi 
ble  even  yet  to  find  a  panacea  for  the  national  dis 
temper.  He  did  not  easily  grasp  the  irreconcilable 
character  of  the  differences  which  divided  the  North 
and  the  South.  Time  and  events,  inexorable  but 
capable  school-masters,  had  still  to  teach  him  that 
this  was  a  contest  between  feudalism  and  liberty, 
between  Cavalier  and  Puritan,  between  barbarism  and 
civilization.  Meantime,  he  needed  all  these  anxious 
endeavors  after  pacification  to  make  the  welcome  he 
gave  the  war  when  it  began  hot  and  hearty.  There 
is  no  fighter  so  stern  as  he  whose  friendly  overtures 
have  been  contemptuously  rejected. 

In  January,  1861,  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Com 
merce  appointed  a  committee  of  twenty-five  to  present 
a  memorial  to  Congress,  then  in  session,  praying  for 
the  speedy  adoption  of  measures  of  settlement.  Of 
this  committee  Mr.  Dodge  was  a  prominent  and 
influential  member.  Bearing  the  memorial,  signed 


EFFORTS    FOR    PEACE.  l8l 

by  thirty-eight  thousand  persons,  these  gentlemen 
hurried  to  Washington,  where  Mrs.  Dodge  joined  her 
husband.  These  two  were  always  together,  if  it 
could  be  compassed,  and  especially  in  moments  of 
perplexity  and  danger.  He  rightly  regarded  this 
clear-minded,  true-hearted  woman  as  his  best  coun 
selor.  Many  and  anxious  were  now  their  private 
conferences. 

First,  the  committee  met  the  Congressmen  from  the 
Border  States,  which  were  balancing  between  inclina 
tion  and  interest.  Interest  said,  remain  in  the  Union. 
Inclination  said,  follow  the  Gulf  States  into  secession. 
Next  the  deputation  conferred  with  the  Republican 
Senators  and  Representatives.  Both  were  urged  in 
the  name  of  trade,  patriotism  and  humanity  to  agree 
upon  some  compromise. 

Let  us  unfold  a  Washington  newspaper  of  that  date 
and  read  its  report  of  the  remarks  made  by  the  Cliff 
Street  magnate  at  one  of  these  meetings  : 

"  Mr.  William  E.  Dodge,  whose  name  has  been  so  long  and 
honorably  associated  with  the  mercantile  fame  of  New  York, 
said  that  after  coming  here  the  Committee  realized  that  they 
had  undertaken  a  most  difficult  and  embarrassing  office.  They 
had  almost  felt,  in  the  great  variety  of  opinions  expressed,  and 
the  slight  feeling  of  unanimity  existing  here,  that  their  mission 
was  a  hopeless  one.  But  when  we  go  back  upon  the  avenues 
of  commerce  and  of  trade,  upon  Wall  Street  and  upon  '  Change,' 
our  fellow-citizens  will  meet  us  at  every  turn  with  the  anxious 
inquiry,  '  What  news  do  you  bring  us  ?  Is  there  any  hope  ?  ' 
and  we  fear  by  our  uncertain  replies  we  shall  only  add  to  the 
gloom  which  already  darkens  our  homes.  After  a  long  night's 
sleepless  and  intense  thought,  he  had  resolved  to  counsel 
friends  of  the  Committee  to  hold  a  consultation,  first  with  the 
members  of  Congress  from  the  Border  Southern  States,  to 


182  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

ascertain  what  they  actually  want  and  desire,  and  next  to 
consult  with  the  Republican  members,  to  discover  whether 
they  are  willing  to  meet  the  Border  representatives  fairly,  and 
to  declare  that  they  had  done  all  that  can  be  done.  We  have 
done  so,  and  we  are  here  to  know  what  response  you  are 
willing  to  make  the  forty  thousand  citizens  of  New  York  whom 
we  represent.  Some  of  our  friends  who  have  visited  Washing 
ton  have  told  us  that  '  nothing  can  be  done  ;  that  the  Repub 
lican  members  cannot  possibly  bend  from  their  position.'  He 
assured  them  that  in  the  bosom  of  the  signers  of  that  monster 
petition  there  existed  the  highest  patriotism,  the  most  devoted 
love  of  the  Union.  It  was  well  known  and  recognized  by  every 
man  at  the  North,  that  if  we  had  only  had  the  proper  courage  and 
determination  at  the  head  of  the  Government  when  the  trouble 
first  began,  we  should  not  now  have  to  deplore  the  present 
calamitous  crisis.  He  illustrated,  by  a  beautiful  and  striking 
figure,  taken  from  the  burning  of  a  house,  the  gradual  process 
of  secession.  First,  the  people  did  not  believe  any  State  would 
go.  South  Carolina  went,  and  people  said,  '  That  will  be  all ; 
let  her  go.'  Then  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  the  others  followed 
in  rapid  succession;  and  the  danger  is  now  that  the  whole 
fifteen  may  also  go.  So,  said  the  speaker,  the  edifice  (glorious 
edifice,  too)  takes  fire.  Two  parties  of  firemen  stand  on  either 
side  with  folded  arms  and  speculate  on  the  probable  progress 
of  the  flames.  One  party  says,  '  Why,  it  is  beginning  to  catch 
the  shingles  ;  but  it  won't  go  any  further.'  Soon  the  roof  falls 
in,  and  the  other  party  says,  '  Why  don't  you  put  on  the  water  ?  ' 
The  reply  comes  back,  •  The  roof  isn't  of  any  account ;  better 
let  it  go  ;  the  fire  won't  go  any  further.'  And  still  not  a  drop 
of  water  goes  to  stay  the  conflagration.  Story  after  story 
burns,  and  the  danger  is  that  not  even  a  beam  or  timber  may 
remain  to  indicate  the  spot  where  the  noble  edifice  stood." 

Early  in  the  month  following  (February)  what 
became  known  as  the  "  Peace  Congress  "  assembled 
in  the  Capital.  It  met  in  response  to  the  invitation 


EFFORTS    FOR    PEACE.  183 

of  Virginia,  and  had  for  its  object  the  arrangement 
of  some  basis  of  agreement  between  the  North  and 
the  Border  States,  which  should  hold  these  latter  and 
still  undecided  commonwealths  in  the  Union.  This 
body  was  composed  of  Commissioners,  specially 
appointed  by  the  twenty-one  States  taking  part  in  it, 
of  which  fourteen  were  free  and  seven  were  slaves. 
Mr.  Dodge  was  one  of  the  ten  gentlemen  accredited 
by  the  Legislature  of  New  York.  The  sessions  of 
this  body  were  numerous,  prolonged,  and  often  angry. 
Our  merchant  advocated  a  compromise  consisting  of 
four  items,  viz.:  The  acquisition  of  no  more  territory 
save  by  the  consent  of  a  majority  of  the  Senators 
from  both  sections ;  non-interference  with  slavery 
where  it  was  already  established  ;  the  seizure  and 
rendition  of  fugitive  slaves  whenever  recaptured — or 
if  their  recapture  were  prevented  by  violence,  the 
payment  of  the  value  of  the  bondman  out  of  "the 
United  States  treasury  ;  and  the  prohibition  forever 
of  the  foreign  slave-trade. 

In  support  of  this  programme  Mr.  Dodge  spoke 
often  and  well.  Coming,  as  he  did,  from  the  Commer 
cial  Emporium,  representing  vast  and  imperilled 
interests,  personal  and  national,  and  with  a  noble  life 
behind  his  words,  what  he  said  found  ready  audience. 
From  one  of  his  speeches  made  on  the  floor  of  the 
"  Peace  Congress  "  we  quote  a  number  of  sentences 
which  give  a  valuable  and  interesting  description  of 
the  state  of  affairs  at  the  moment  : 

"  In  the  delegation  to  which  I  belong  I  find  many  shades  of 
opinion.  I  respect  the  views  of  my  brother  delegates.  It  is 
not  for  me  to  assume  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  them.  I  give 
each  of  them  credit  for  the  same  honesty  and  integrity  which  I 


184  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

claim  for  myself ;  and  if  I  happen  to  differ  from  them,  I  hold 
that  such  divergence  naturally  arises  from  the  different  paths 
of  life  we  pursue,  and  which  may  lead  us  to  take  opposite  views 
of  the  same  subject.  The  Conference  has  listened  to  the 
arguments  of  political  and  professional  men  ;  will  you  now  hear 
a  few  words  from  those  who  have  hitherto  been  silent  here,  but 
who  have  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  the  happiness  and 
prosperity  of  the  country  and  in  the  preservation  and  perpetuity 
of  the  American  Union  ? 

"  I  speak  to  you  as  a  business  man,  a  merchant  of  New  York. 
Words  cannot  describe  the  stagnation  which  has  now  settled 
down  upon  the  business  and  commerce  of  that  great  city, 
caused  solely  by  the  uncertain  conditions  of  the  questions  we 
are  here  endeavoring  to  settle. 

"  Had  not  Divine  Providence  poured  out  its  blessings  upon 
the  West  in  an  abundant  harvest,  and  at  the  same  time 
opened  in  foreign  lands  a  new  market  for  that  harvest,  bringing 
it  through  New  York  in  transit,  our  city  would  now  present  the 
silence  of  the  Sabbath.  In  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New  York 
and  Boston,  merchants  are  not  ordinarily  listless  and  unenter 
prising.  They  are  accustomed  to  the  bustle,  the  excitement, 
the  responsibilities  of  trade.  Hitherto  they  have  seen  their 
places  of  business  crowded  with  buyers.  Not  infrequently 
their  clerks  have  had  to  labor  by  night  to  select  and  send  off 
goods  sold  during  the  day.  When  business  is  good  and  driving, 
wealth  and  comfort  are  not  only  secured  to  the  merchants  and 
dealers  in  the  great  cities,  but  general  prosperity  is  indicated  in 
the  districts  to  which  the  goods  are  transmitted.  How  is  it 
to-day  ?  Go  to  the  vast  establishments  of  these  commercial 
cities.  The  spring  trade  should  be  just  commencing.  What 
will  you  see?  The  heavy  stocks  of  goods,  imported  last 
autumn,  or  laid  in  from  our  own  manufactories,  remain  upon 
the  shelves  untouched.  No  customers  are  there,  or  the  few 
who  do  come  are  there,  not  as  buyers,  but  as  debtors,  seeking 
to  arrange  for  extensions.  The  merchants  in  despair  are 
pouring  over  their  ledgers,  checking  off  the  names  of  insolvent 
customers  ;  and  each  day's  mail  increases  the  list.  Clerks  sit 


EFFORTS    FOR    PEACE.  185 

around  in  idleness,  reading  the  newspapers,  or  thinking  of 
wives  and  children  at  home,  who  if  they  are  discharged  will  go 
unclad  and  hungry.  All  alike,  employers  and  employed,  are 
looking  anxiously — I  wish  I  could  say  hopefully — to  Congress, 
or  to  this  Conference,  as  the  source  from  which  help  may 
come.  Tens  of  thousands  of  this  class  all  over  the  country 
must  in  some  way  have  relief,  or  their  ruin  is  inevitable.  The 
same  is  true  of  that  other  class,  numerically  larger,  and  cer 
tainly  not  less  worthy  of  our  regard — the  mechanics  and  day- 
laborers,  and  all  dependent  upon  them.  If  something  is  not 
done  to  start  again  the  wheels  of  commerce  and  trade,  what  is 
to  become  of  them  ?  And  New  England,  lately  the  workshop 
of  the  South  and  West,  and  growing  rich  by  traffic,  what  is  her 
condition  to-day  ?  The  noise  of  the  loom,  the  rattle  of  the 
shuttle,  have  ceased  in  many  of  her  factories,  while  others  are 
gradually  discharging  their  operatives  and  closing  their  business. 
No  one  acquainted  with  the  facts  will  deny  that  the  whole  land 
is  on  the  eve  of  a  disastrous  financial  crisis,  unless  we  can  do 
something  to  avert  it.  What  is  it  that  has  thus  arrested  the 
ordinary  movements  of  commerce  ?  What  has  driven  from  the 
markets  of  the  North  customers  once  so  welcome  ?  It  is 
because  confidence  is  lost.  The  North  misunderstands  the 
South  ;  the  South  misunderstands  the  North.  I  am  not  here  to 
discuss  constitutional  questions — that  belongs  to  gentlemen  of 
the  legal  profession.  I  am  here  as  a  merchant.  I  venerate  the 
Constitution  and  its  authors  as  highly  as  any  member  present ; 
but  I  do  not  venerate  it  so  highly  as  to  induce  me  to  witness 
the  destruction  of  the  Government,  rather  than  see  the  Consti 
tution  amended  or  improved.  I  know  the  people  of  this  country. 
They  value  the  Union ;  they  will  make  any  sacrifice  to  save  it. 
They  will  disregard  politics  and  parties  ;  they  will  cast  platforms 
to  the  winds,  before  they  will  imperil  the  Union. 

"  I  regret,  Mr.  President,  that  the  gentlemen  composing  the 
committee  did  not  approach  these  questions  more  in  the  manner 
of  business  men.  We  should  not  have  sacrificed  our  principles, 
but  we  should  have  agreed.  We  should  have  brought  our 
minds  together  as  far  as  we  could — have  left  open  as  few 


1 86  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

questions  as  possible,  and  these  we  should  have  arranged  by 
mutual  concessions.  I  love  my  country  and  its  government. 
My  heart  is  filled  with  sorrow  at  the  dangers  threatening  it.  I 
came  here  for  peace  ;  the  country  longs  for  peace  ;  and  if  the 
proposed  amendments  now  presented  will  give  us  peace,  my 
prayer  is  that  they  may  be  adopted." 

We  are  not  to  understand  that  the  compromise 
supported  by  Mr.  Dodge  met  his  full  approval.  Far 
from  it.  It  was  his  olive  branch,  held  out  with  the 
view  to  escape  from  what  he  believed  to  be  greater 
and  more  immediate  dangers.  But  moderate 
measures  are  always  voted  down  in  revolutionary 
times.  The  Girondists  in  the  French  revolution  were 
crushed  between  the  King  and  Jacobin.  If,  as 
Macauley  claims,  "  the  essence  of  politics  is  com 
promise,"  then  the  time  for  compromise  is  before, 
and  long  before,  the  outbreak.  Besides,  compromise 
when  human  rights  are  at  issue,  is  the  devil's  gospel. 
The  basis  of  settlement  which  Mr.  Dodge  proposed 
did  not  even  satisfy  the  "Peace  Congress."  It  was 
scouted  outside.  It  was  too  pro-slavery  for  the  North. 
It  was  not  pro-slavery  enough  to  please  the  South — 
not  even  the  Border  States.  Down  in  Secessia  it  was 
a  chip  on  the  Niagara  rapids  of  passion.  In  truth,  all 
these  efforts  for  peace  were  like  seeking  to  quiet 
Vesuvius  in  eruption  by  pouring  laudanum  out  of  a 
two-ounce  vial  into  the  roaring  crater. 

Events  hurried  on.  The  new  President  arrived  in 
Washington.  "  During  the  sessions  of  the  '  Peace 
Congress,'  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  occupied  rooms  at 
Willard's  Hotel,"  writes  a  member  of  the  family. 
"  Their  apartment  happened  to  be  one  of  the  most 
desirable  in  the  house.  Late  one  evening  the  proprie- 


EFFORTS    FOR    PEACE.  187 

tor  came  and  begged  them  to  relinquish  their  rooms 
in  favor  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  was  suddenly  expected, 
having  consented,  at  the  entreaty  of  friends,  to  enter 
the  city  secretly  by  a  night  train.  This  course  was 
deemed  indispensable  for  Mr.  Lincoln's  safety,  as 
there  was  reason  to  believe  that  the  mob  in  Baltimore 
was  to  be  incited  to  violence  on  his  anticipated 
passage  through  that  city.  The  next  morning,  before 
Mr.  Dodge  was  fully  dressed,  the  younger  son  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  apartment  to 
which  they  had  removed,  and  said  that  his  father  was 
anxious  to  have  an  interview  with  him.  On  joining 
the  president-elect,  Mr.  Dodge  found  him  busy  over 
his  inaugural  address  ;  but  this  was  at  once  thrown 
aside,  that  inquiries  might  be  made  respecting  the 
progress  and  probable  results  of  the  discussions  at 
the  Peace  Conference,  then  nearly  ready  to  close  its 
sittings.  After  a  lengthened  conversation,  as  Mr. 
Dodge  arose  to  go,  he  said  :  '  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  prayers 
of  many  hearts  were  with  you  before  you  started 
upon  this  journey,  they  accompanied  you  all  the  way 
here,  and  they  will  follow  you  as  you  enter  upon  your 
administration.'  Tears  filled  Mr.  Lincoln's  eyes,  and 
grasping  both  of  Mr.  Dodge's  hands,  he  replied,  with 
deep  emotion,  *  Thank  you,  thank  you.'  That  evening 
Mr.  Lincoln  gave  a  public  and  cordial  reception  to  all 
the  delegates  of  the  Conference." 

Mr.  Lincoln's  social  blandishments  were  no  more 
successful  than  Mr.  Dodge's  appeals.  The  rush  of 
affairs  continued.  The  waters  \vere  out,  and  soon  it 
was  apparent  that  swords  must  construct  the  dam. 

During  the  interview  just  mentioned  between  the 
president-elect  and  Mr.  Dodge,  the  former  said  some- 


l88  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

thing  which  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  latter, 
so  that  he  remembered  and  repeated  it,  and  it  has 
since  gained  wide  currency.  Referring  to  the  outcry 
in  the  "  Peace  Congress,"  and  elsewhere,  against  the 
coercion  of  a  State,  made  by  those  who  professed  a 
desire  to  maintain  the  Union,  he  asked  :  "  Would  it 
be  coercion  if  the  Government  should  retake  its  own 
forts,  collect  the  duties  on  foreign  importations  and 
enforce  the  laws  ?  Would  this  be  resisted  as  coercion  ? 
If  so,  then  their  idea  of  the  means  to  preserve  the 
object  of  their  great  affection  would  seem  to  be 
exceedingly  thin  and  airy.  If  sick,  the  little  pills  of 
the  homeopathist  would  be  much  too  large  for  them 
to  swallow.  In  their  view,  the  Union,  as  a  family 
relation,  would  seem  to  be  no  regular  marriage,  but 
rather  a  free-love  arrangement,  to  be  maintained  on 
passional  attraction." 

It  was  said  of  Daniel  Webster  that  his  statement 
was  argument.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  like  master 
of  the  art  of  putting  things.  And  he  had,  what  the 
Massachusetts  expounder  had  not,  a  power  of  quaint 
and  effective  illustration,  which  drove  his  words  home 
and  clinched  them  in  the  memory. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TO    ARMS ! 

ON  the  i2th  of  April,  1861  (memorable  date),  the 
cannon  of  secessionists,  in  Charleston  Harbor,  were 
trained  upon  Fort  Sumter,  held  by  brave  Major 
Anderson  for  the  United  States,  and  the  shot"  was 
fired  which,  like  that  at  Lexington,  was  "  heard  round 
the  world."  The  Confederate  Government  ordered 
this  action  for  the  purpose  of  "  firing  the  Southern 
heart,"  expediting  the  withdrawal  of  the  hesitating 
Border  States  from  the  Union,  and  intimidating  the 
North.  The  artifice  succeeded  with  the  South,  and 
with  the  Border  States,  which  soon  afterwards  succes 
sively  passed  ordinances  of  secession.  It  had  an 
opposite  effect  from  that  intended  in  the  North.  This 
section,  hopelessly  divided  before,  and  inclined  to 
permit  the  South  to  retire  peaceably,  was  unified  as  if 
by  magic,  and  sprang  to  arms  as  one  man.  The  Stars 
and  Stripes  had  been  shot  down  !  The  flag  must  be 
run  up  again,  and  kept  everywhere  throughout  the 
region  of  revolt — such  was  the  universal  feeling. 
That  shot,  to  borrow  the  mot  of  Tallyrand,  "  was 
worse  than  a  crime — it  was  a  blunder."  It  made  the 
difficult  task  of  the  Republican  administration  easier. 
All  at  once  it  became  possible  and  necessary  to  defend 
the  menaced  Union  by  force  of  arms.  Before,  public 
opinion  in  the  North  would  not  have  tolerated 


190  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

coercion.  Now  it  demanded  it.  The  change  was 
amazing.  Dough  faces  were  turned  in  this  magic 
oven  into  well-baked  men.  Democrats  vied  with 
Republicans  in  vociferous  patriotism.  Those  who 
had  favored  a  compromise  became  the  most  uncom 
promising  persons  in  the  community.  Commerce 
stopped  counting  the  cost,  and  subscribed  millions  for 
defense.  Merchants  who  had  done  a  Southern  busi 
ness,  declared  that  henceforth  they  would  sell  their 
goods,  not  their  principles.  The  churches  sanctioned 
and  echoed  the  cry,  "  To  arms  !  "  Wives,  mothers, 
sweethearts  urged  their  husbands,  sons,  lovers  to 
enlist. 

It  was  a  spectacle  of  the  moral  sublime. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  public  mind  when,  on  the 
i5th  of  April,  1861,  President  Lincoln  issued  his  first 
proclamation  calling  for  75,000  men  to  suppress  the 
rebellion.  They  were  forthcoming  in  a  few  hours. 
The  farm,  the  workshop,  the  counting-room,  emptied 
themselves  into  the  various  local  camps.  It  was  a 
more  difficult  and  a  longer  task  to  transport  them  to 
Washington.  They  had  to  be  armed,  drilled,  and 
put  in  motion.  In  the  meantime  the  South,  which 
had  been  preparing  for  years  stealthily,  and  for 
months  openly,  placed  large  armies  in  the  field  and 
threatened  the  Capital.  The  immediate  duty  was  to 
secure  Washington.  Accordingly,  such  regiments  of 
the  militia  as  were  available  were  hastily  dispatched 
to  the  front. 

At  this  crisis,  Mr.  Dodge  shared  in  the  common 
feeling.  He  turned,  as  men  will  turn  who  have  gone 
vainly  to  the  boundary  of  honor,  with  righteous  indig 
nation  upon  the  traitors.  He  put  himself  with  all  he 


TO    ARMS !  IQT 

had  at  the  disposal  of  the  Administration.  Phelps, 
Dodge  &  Co.  were  among  the  first  and  heaviest  sub 
scribers  to  a  fund  for  the  Union  cause. — a  subscrip 
tion  renewed  as  often  as  it  was  needed.  His  money, 
too,  helped  to  transport  the  Seventh  Regiment  of  New 
York  to  the  seat  of  war  in  response  to  the  cry  from 
menaced  Washington.  One  of  his  sons,  Charles  C. 
Dodge,  (who  proved  a  gallant  soldier,  and  was  eventu 
ally  promoted  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship),  soon 
entered  the  army.  He  would  have  enlisted  himself 
had  he  not  felt  that  he  could  do  better  service  in  his 
own  sphere. 

The  demand  of  the  hour,  after  the  relief  of  Wash 
ington,  was  for  funds  and  for  arms.  For,  as  we 
already  noted,  the  national  treasury  had  been  emptied 
and  the  United  States  arsenals  had  been  despoiled. 
The  money  and  weapons  thus  plundered  had  been 
used  to  equip  the  Southern  troops.  The  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce  met  on  the  i9th  of  April, 
eight  days  after  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter.  Mr. 
Dodge  proposed  the  formation  of  a  committee  to 
receive  subscriptions  for  the  outfit  of  regiments. 
The  committee  was  at  once  formed  and  he  was  made 
its  chairman.  Two  or  three  days  later  his  committee, 
by  a  vote  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  was  united 
with  the  Union  Defense  Committee,  which  was 
appointed  at  a  mass  meeting  of  citizens  held  on  the 
2oth  of  April.  The^  city  government,  by  a  special 
ordinance,  placed  $1,000,000  in  the  hands  of  this  gen 
eral  committee,  in  whose  interest  Mr.  Dodge  was 
requested  to  visit  Philadelphia  and  Washington.  He 
set  out  without  definite  instruction,  the  expenditure 
of  money  and  management  of  agents  being  left  to  his 


192  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

discretion.  At  such  a  moment  he  could  not  take  his 
wife  with  him,  but  he  was  particular  to  keep  her  con 
stantly  informed  of  his  movements.  From  the  Capi 
tol  in  May,  '61,  he  dashed  off  these  lines  to  her  : 

"  I  have  been  twenty-four  hours  coming  from  Philadelphia, 
via  Parrysville  and  Annapolis,  in  the  Government  train,  all 
under  martial  law.  My  pass  was  vised  four  times,  quite  in  the 
European  style.  This  city  is  full  of  soldiers  at  every  turn.  I 
came  to  meet  Mr.  Lincoln  by  appointment  this  afternoon,  and 
have  had  already  to-day  a  long  interview  with  the  Secretary  of 
War." 

Money  matters  were  thus  looked  after.  How  about 
the  arms?  They  could  not  be  extemporized — had  to 
be  gathered  from  far  and  near,  and  tediously  waited 
for.  In  this  connection  a  story  is  told  of  Mr.  Dodge 
which  is  worth  repeating.  His  punctilious  obser 
vance  of  the  Sunday  was  well  known.  He  took  care 
that  it  should  be.  Well,  it  seems  that  Colonel  Le- 
grand  B.  Cannon,  who  was  General  Wool's  Chief  of 
Staff,  suddenly  learned  of  some  arms  which  could  be 
secured  at  once,  if  Mr.  Dodge  would  aid  the  effort. 
But  it  was  Sunday.  Would  he  act  on  that  day  ? 
Colonel  Cannon  went  to  the  house  of  a  mutual  friend 
on  Fifth  Avenue,  and  stated  the  case  to  him,  and  the 
urgency  of  it.  He  said  to  him  substantially  : 

"  You  are  well  acquainted  with  William  E.  Dodge 
— his  intimate  friend.  Our  great  need  here  is  arms 
for  our  troops.  I  have  found  in  Canada  twenty-five 
thousand  stand  of  arms,  which  we  can  get  as  a  loan,  if 
we  give  an  indemnity  bond  for  their  return,  or  that 
they  will  be  paid  for.  I  can  obtain  all  the  signers  I 
want,  if  Mr.  Dodge  will  sign  it.  I  know  he  would 
sign  it  on  Monday,  but  I  know  how  strict  he  is  about 


TO    ARMS !  193 

Sunday.  Yet,  the  matter  is  urgent.  If  I  can  get  the 
bond  ready  to-night,  I  can  have  the  arms  here  in  three 
days.  The  friend  undertook  to  go  with  him  to  Mr. 
Dodge.  The  Colonel  stated  his  case  there  as  elo 
quently  as  before,  and  Mr.  Dodge  turned  to  his  desk 
and  signed  the  bond,  saying  as  he  did  so,  '  I  do  not 
see  how  I  can  do  a  better  deed  on  Sunday.'  " 

The  Christian  merchant  felt  that  God's  day  was  not 
to  be  profaned  ;  but  it  was  not  too  sacred  for  any 
deed  of  charity,  mercy,  or  public  necessity.  The 
anecdote  is  characteristic. 

When  he  was  not  in  personal  conference  with  the 
authorities,  he  talked  with  his  pen.  In  May,  1861,  he 
wrote  to  General  Winfield  Scott,  then  in  command  at 
Washington  : 

"  Permit  me  to  say  that  I  fear  that  we  are  not  sufficiently  alive 
to  the  extent  of  the  preparations  making  -by  the  South.  Since 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  one  of  my  partners  has  returned 
from  New  Orleans.  He  passed  through  all  the  States  South, 
and  informs  me  that  in  every  direction  troops  are  moving  East. 
He  saw  three  thousand  five  hundred  leave  Mobile  in  one  day, 
all  well  armed  and  equipped,  many  of  them  at  the  expense  of 
the  merchants,  some  of  whom  have  subscribed  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  each  for  that  purpose.  Last  week  he  passed  up  the  river 
to  Memphis.  There  were  six  hundred  troops  on  the  boat,  said  to 
be  for  operating  on  Cairo.  He  remained  there  for  a  day,  and 
took  another  boat,  also  full  of  soldiers,  who  were  left  twenty 
miles  below  Cairo.  After  landing  passengers  at  that  city,  the 
boat  proceeded  twenty  miles  farther  up  the  river,  and  then 
stopped  to  put  on  shore  seventy  other  men,  who  had  been 
concealed  before.  My  partner  is  convinced  that  more  men  and 
means  are  ready  at  the  South  than  is  generally  supposed  here. 
One  of  my  sons  has  also  visited  New  Orleans,  Mobile,  Mont 
gomery,  Savannah,  Charleston  and  Richmond  within  a  few  days, 


IQ4  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

and  he  believes  that  we  are  not  at  all  awake  to  the  vast  efforts 
making  at  the  South,  and  the  large  number  of  troops  coming 
East.  On  my  way  home  from  Washington  I  met  several 
very  intelligent  gentlemen  and  ladies  escaping  from  the  South. 
They  all  unite  in  the  conviction  that  there  are  more  soldiers  in 
the  field  than  we  have  any  idea  of.  This  direct  testimony  from 
different  sources  leads  me  to  suggest  that,  as  there  are  so  many 
of  our  own  troops  now  ready,  you  would,  perhaps,  think  best  to 
have  them  moving  forward  at  once." 

Early  in  the  next  year  (1862),  he  wrote  to  the  Hon. 
E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War  : 

"  I  trust  you  will  appreciate  my  motives,  and  pardon  the 
liberty  I  take  in  calling  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  letters 
received  by  late  arrivals  from  my  partner  in  England,  and  from 
two  valued  friends  in  Paris,  all  go  to  show  the  deep  impression 
existing  there  of  the  danger  of  English  and  French  interference 
in  favor  of  the  South  at  an  early  day,  and  the  conviction  that 
nothing  can  prevent  it  but  some  decisive  action  on  the  part  of 
the  North — such  a  manifestation  of  ability  to  subdue  the  South 
as  would  result  from  a  victory  by  sea  or  land,  and  such  as  is 
expected  from  our  immense  forces.  I  know  the  difficulties  that 
have  prevented  the  forward  movement  of  our  grand  army.  I 
am  not  one  of  the  '  On  to  Richmond  '  party,  nor  would  I  venture 
to  urge  a  movement  in  any  quarter,  but  for  fear  that  delay  may 
induce  action  by  England  and  France  that  will  render  all  we 
have  yet  done  by  way  of  preparation  of  little  value.  My  corre 
spondent  in  France,  who  has  done  more,  perhaps,  than  anyone 
abroad  to  give  correct  views  of  our  struggle,  and  who  has 
expended  several  thousand  dollars,  sent  him  by  a  few  of  us 
merchants,  in  printing  and  distributing  documents,  says :  '  I 
repeat  the  urgent  appeal  for  fortifications  at  Portland,  Boston, 
New  York  and  Newport.  A  French  engineer,  just  returned, 
has  reported  to  the  government  that  Newport,  R.  I.,  is  the 
most  important  harbor  in  the  country,  and  should  be  the  first 
seized  in  case  of  war  between  France  and  America  ; '  and  he 


TO    ARMS !  195 

adds :  '  If  you  do  not  beat  the  Rebels  in  some  great  battle 
before  spring,  you  may  rely  on  an  intervention  to  open  the 
blockade  of  the  Southern  ports.'  There  is  a  growing  fear 
among  our  merchants  that  unless  we  move  very  soon  South  or 
West,  we  shall  never  have  an  opportunity ;  and  since  the  settle 
ment  of  the  '  Trent '  affair,  our  merchants  have  been  afraid  to 
undertake  long  voyages  for  their  ships,  in  view  of  the  risk  of 
English  interference,  which  will  bring  on  war  with  that  country. 
"  Excuse  this  letter,  and  do  not  think  of  me  as  one  of  the 
fault-finders,  for  I  have  no  sympathy  with  them." 

Just  before  the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  Mr.  Dodge 
terminated  his  active  connection  with  Phelps,  Dodge 
&  Co.  He  remained  in  the  firm,  and  was  consulted 
upon  matters  of  importance.  But  his  outside  opera 
tions  were  now  so  extended,  and  the  pressure  of 
national  interests  was  so  exhaustive,  that  he  left 
details  to  his  eldest  son,  William  E.  Dodge,  Jr.,  and 
his  nephew  (the  son  of  his  brother-in-law  and  partner 
in  England),  D.  Willis  James — worthy  successors,  in 
whose  hands  the  honor  of  the  historic  house  has  been 
held  as  a  sacred  trust.  Later,  others  of  the  children 
and  grandchildren  were  also  admitted  into  partnership. 

Being  thus  free  from  the  routine  of  the  office,  this 
great-hearted  man  poured  himself  out  like  water  to 
satisfy  the  thirst  of  his  fellows.  His  thoughts  turned 
wistfully  to  those  brave  soldiers  whom  he  had  done  so 
much  to  marshal — out  there  on  the  perilous  edges  of 
battle,  or  let  down  into  the  demoralization  of  the 
camp,  away  from  home,  surrounded  by  temptation, 
and  without  moral  safeguards. 

An  organization  called  the  "  Christian  Commission  " 
had  been  formed,  whose  object  was  to  provide  for  the 
religious  needs  of  the  boys  in  blue  ;  and  whose  dele- 


196  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

gates  and  resources  were  also  employed  without  stint 
in  ministering  to  the  sick  and  wounded.  Mr.  Dodge 
at  once  identified  himself  with  it,  and  acted  as  chair 
man  of  the  New  York  branch.  The  Philadelphia 
Christian  and  philanthropist,  George  H.  Stuart,  was 
president  of  the  National  Society.  These  two  men 
were  drawn  together  in  this  work  in  delightful  and 
cooperating  intimacy.  One  day  they  visited  a  camp 
a  few  miles  below  Washington,  and  held  a  prayer 
meeting  in  the  evening.  Nine  o'clock  was  the  regula 
tion  hour  for  closing,  but  the  interest  was  so  deep 
that  the  Colonel  of  the  regiment  said  :  "  Go  on,"  and 
the  meeting  was  prolonged  for  half  an  hour  or  more. 
At  last  ten  o'clock  had  come,  when  the  gentlemen 
prepared  to  return  to  Washington  by  carriage.  But 
the  Colonel  said  :  "  You  can't  go  to  Washington 
to-night.  The  guard  is  posted  already  (as  nine  was 
the  hour  for  guard-mounting),  and  an  order  has  been 
issued  that  no  civilian  shall  have  the  countersign." 

Imperative  business  required  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Dodge,  and  he  said  he  must  be  in  Washington  before 
morning. 

The  Colonel  said  he  would  see  what  could  be  done. 
Perhaps  the  magic  "  word  "  would  be  given  to  Mr. 
Stuart  on  account  of  his  position.  He  went  to  head 
quarters,  and  returning,  soon  whispered  the  "  word  " 
in  Mr.  Stuart's  ear.  Then  he  gave  these  minute 
directions  • 

"  Drive  out  until  you  are  near  the  sentinel's  post — 
about  two  miles  from  camp  ;  then  leave  the  carriage 
and  walk  up  to  him.  He  will  present  his  gun  to  your 
face  and  will  call  out  :  *  Who  goes  there  ? '  You  will 
answer  :  '  A  friend  with  the  countersign.'  The 


TO    ARMS !  197 

sentinel  will  say  :  *  What  is  it  ? '  You  will  then  give 
the  *  word  '  I  whispered  in  your  ear,  and  he  will  allow 
you  to  pass." 

Well,  they  drove  out  in  the  darkness,  and  Mr.  Stuart 
left  the  carriage  at  the  appointed  place,  and  advanced 
till  the  musket  of  the  guard  gleamed  in  dangerous 
nearness  to  his  face.  Then  the  questions  and  answers 
followed  just  as  the  Colonel  had  described,  only, 
when  the  sentinel  said  :  "  What  is  it  ? "  Mr.  Stuart 
answered  :  "  Beverly,"  and  instead  of  this  proving  the 
open  sesame,  the  sentinel  cried,  calling  him  by  name  : 
"  Mr.  Stuart,  you  have  given  the  wrong  word — that 
is  not  the  countersign.  I  cannot  let  you  pass.  You 
must  go  back  to  camp  and  get  the  right  word." 

So  back  Mr.  Stuart  and  Mr.  Dodge  drove,  in  the 
black  night  over  the  muddy  roads.  It  turned  out 
that  the  officer  by  mistake  had  whispered  the  counter 
sign  of  the  day  before — it  was  changed  every  day. 
The  mistake  rectified,  they  started  again,  and  again 
went  through  the  programme.  This  time  the  word 
was  "  Massachusetts,"  and  they  were  permitted  to  go 
on,  but  not  before  Mr.  Stuart  had  turned  and  asked 
the  soldier  :  "  How  did  you  know  who  I  was  in  the 
darkness  ?  "  and  the  man  answered  :  "  About  fifteen 
years  ago  I  heard  you  speak  to  a  Sunday-School  up 
in  New  York  State,  and  though  I  have  never  seen  you 
since,  I  remembered  your  voice.  If  it  hadn't  been  for 
that  I  should  have  shot  you."  Then  said  Mr.  Stuart  : 
"  My  friend,  I  hope  you  have  the  countersign."  "  I 
have."  "  What  is  it  ?  "  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ," 
was  the  reverent  reply.  * 


1  Mr.  Stuart  himself  told  the  above  story. 


198  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

While  thus  active  himself  in  prayers  and  good 
works,  Mr.  Dodge  was  gratified  when  his  son  and 
partner,  William  E.  Dodge,  Jr.,  became  an  early  and 
energetic  member  of  the  famous  "  Sanitary  Com 
mission,"  which  played  the  part  of  the  Good  Samari 
tan  in  the  camp  and  on  the  battle  field  throughout 
the  war.  He  was,  perhaps,  even  more  pleased  when, 
in  addition  to  this  charity,  the  younger  Dodge,  aided 
by  a  couple  of  friends,  originated  and  carried  out  an 
army  allotment  system,  by  which  soldiers  were 
enabled  to  make  provision  for  their  families,  by  send 
ing  home,  through  official  channels,  a  portion  of  their 
monthly  pay.1  Where  is  the  Elijah  who  would  not 
be  made  happier  by  the  knowledge  that  the  Elisha 
who  should  wear  his  mantle  was  his  own  son  ? 


Memorials  of  William  E.  Dodge,  pp.  85-86. 


CHAPTER  V. 

IN      WAR      TIMES. 

WAR,  in  itself,  is  the  worst  of  horrors.  Tattered 
battle-flags,  decimated  regiments,  acres  of  untimely 
graves,  crowds  of  mutilated  survivors,  shattered 
homes,  happy  wives  turned  into  weeping  widows, 
helpless  children  made  unprotected  orphans,  a  nation 
intoxicated  with  blood,  demoniacal  with  passion — hell 
on  earth.  Such  is  a  tame  picture  of  war. 

The  North  always  hated  it,  never  sought  it,  tried 
hard  to  escape  from  it.  We  were  interested  in  science, 
in  trade,  in  art,  in  literature,  in  religion,  which  live 
and  move  and  have  their  being  in  peace.  For  our 
people  there  was  congenial  occupation  in  digging 
wealth  out  of  the  earth,  in  making  an  errand-boy  of 
the  lightning,  in  harnessing  steam  to  draw  our  loads, 
in  bridging  the  ocean  with  ships,  in  music  and  the 
drama,  and  travel  and  the  delights  of  the  fireside. 
Our  ideals  were  not  military,  but  civil.  We  admired 
the  founders  rather  than  the  destroyers  of  States — 
Washington,  not  Napoleon. 

The  South  was  different.  The  life  there  was 
hardier,  more  out  of  doors.  The  people  rode  horse 
back,  handled  fire-arms.  Their  social  economy  rested 
upon  slavery — the  black  race  kept  under  by  the  over 
mastering  force  of  the  white — disguised  war  all  the 
time.  Militarism  was  in  the  air.  It  exhaled  from  the 
social  condition. 


200  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Therefore,  the  South  never  understood  the  North, 
and  the  North  never  understood  the  South.  Up  here 
v/e  pictured  the  people  down  there  as  a  collective 
"  Bombastes  Furioso,"  like  the  hero  of  Rhode's 
burlesque  opera.  Down  there  they  conceived  of  us 
up  here  as  so  many  peddlers,  wholly  subdued  to 
buying  and  selling.  The  North  believed  the  South 
would  not  fight.  The  South  believed  the  North  could 
not  fight.  The  war  was  a  revelation.  The  old 
misconceptions  disappeared  in  the  smoke  of  a  hundred 
battle-fields.  It  was  mutually  discovered  that  the 
spirit  of  1776,  of  Sumter  and  Marion  on  the  one  side, 
of  Greene  and  Schuyler  on  the  other  side,  animated 
their  descendants.  The  hostile  sections  were  awed 
into  a  wholesome  respect  for  each  other's  manhood 
and  heroism  and  self-sacrifice.  This  was  a  great  gain, 
almost  worth  what  it  cost.  Add  to  this  the  utter 
destruction,  root  and  branch  of  the  abhorrent  system 
of  human  bondage,  which  was  the  chief  cause  of 
bitterness  between  North  and  South— an  industrial 
system  inimical  to  civilization,  the  reproach  of 
America,  the  weakness  of  the  South,  over  the  disap 
pearance  of  which  the  South  itself  now  rejoices, 
recognizing  that  slavery  was  the  inevitable  foe  of 
union  and  peace.  Here  was  a  gain  fully  worth  what 
was  paid  for  it  in  treasure,  blood  and  sorrow.  It 
made  union  possible,  honorable,  permanent.  The 
only  reason  for  disunion  ceased  to  exist  and  flaunt. 
North  and  South  having  learned  the  lesson  of  mutual 
respect,  and  having  now  a  common  interest,  gravitate 
together,  and,  like  long-estranged  but  at  last  happily 
reconciled  sisters,  fall  into  one  another's  arms. 

However,  this  was  still  in  the  future.     At   present 


IN    WAR    TIMES.  2OI 

both  sections  were  delirious  with  excitement.  The 
angel  of  peace  had  unfolded  her  wings  and  soared 
away.  Nothing  was  heard  save  the  rattle  of  drums, 
the  blare  of  trumpets,  the  tramp  of  departing  regi 
ments,  the  wail  of  separated  or  bereaved  households, 
and,  echoed  from  afar,  the  boom  of  cannon  and  the 
shock  of  battle. 

In  March,  1862,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  looked  over 
into  Dixie.  They  sailed  to  Fortress  Monroe,  on  the 
Virginia  coast,  to  visit  their  son  Charles,  who  was 
stationed  at  Hampton  Roads  with  the  regiment  of 
which  he  was  then  Major.  Soon  after  their  arrival 
they  gazed  across  the  ramparts  and  saw  the  engage 
ment  between  the  Confederate  ram  "  Merrimac  "  and 
the  little  "  Monitor  " — a  thrilling  tableau,  not  expressly 
arranged  for  their  entertainment,  but  holding  their 
attention  just  the  same.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
two  United  States  war  ships,  old-fashioned  wooden 
frigates,  the  "  Cumberland  "  and  the  "  Congress,"  were 
attacked  and  sunk  by  the  "  Merrimac "  before  the 
"  Monitor "  arrived,  while  a  third,  the  "Minnesota," 
was  run  aground.  At  a  later  day,  a  public  reception 
was  given  to  the  survivors  of  these  vessels,  in  the  New 
York  Academy  of  Music.  Mr.  Dodge  made  the 
parting  address  to  the  sailors,  and,  in  the  course  of 
his  remarks,  painted  a  graphic  picture  of  the  battle, 
which  we  again  hang  and  unveil  : 

"  I  feel  a  special  interest  in  you  all,  for  we  have  met  before. 
I  saw  you  the  day  after  the  engagement,  when  you  came  from 
your  destroyed  ships,  looking  very  different  from  your  appear 
ance  this  evening. 

"  Never  can  I  forget  that  Saturday  when  it  was  announced 
that  the  '  Merrimac  '  had  passed  Sewell's  Point,  and  was  making 


2°2  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

her  way  to  Newport  News.  I  was  with  General  Wool  at  his 
headquarters.  Soon  the  telegraph  told  that  she  had  engaged 
the  '  Congress/  then  the  '  Cumberland,'  and  then  that  the  latter 
was  sinking,  with  all  on  hoard  !  In  less  than  an  hour  came  the 
astonishing  tidings  that  the  '  Congress  '  had  been  compelled  to 
surrender!  All  expected  the  victorious  ironclad  would  next 
attack  the  '  Minnesota  '—another  wooden  ship— aground  not 
far  distant ;  but  the  Rebel  steamer  moved  off,  disabled  some 
what — as  we  now  know — by  your  last  shots.  That  evening, 
when  word  went  round  that  the  '  Monitor  '  had  arrived,  the  air 
rang  with  shouts,  and  men  who  seldom  acknowledge  Divine 
interference  were  saying,  '  How  providential !  ' 

"  Sunday  morning  early,  the  '  Merrimac  '  was  seen  advancing 
towards  the  '  Minnesota,'  near  which  the  '  Monitor '  had 
remained  all  night,  and  from  which  she  promptly  moved  out  to 
meet  her  enemy.  Firing  began,  and  for  more  than  an  hour  the 
two  vessels  maneuvered  back  and  forth,  pouring  their  shots 
into  each  other  as  they  passed,  but  with  no  apparent  effect.  At 
last  the  '  Merrimac  '  ran  directly  for  the  diminutive  craft,  and 
drove  its  ram  up  on  to  the  '  Monitor's  '  deck,  both  vessels,  in 
this  close  position,  rapidly  discharging  their  guns.  It  was  an 
exciting  moment !  Soon  the  '  Merrimac  '  backed  slowly  off,  and 
the  report  spread  that  she  was  sinking  !  Then  from  that  old 
fortress  what  a  deafening  shout  went  up  !  But  at  last  two 
Confederate  gunboats  hastened  to  the  disabled  ship,  and  towed 
her  away. 

"  I  want  to  say  to  these  noble  men  who  took  part  in  that 
engagement,  some  of  you  just  escaping  with  your  lives  as  the 
'  Cumberland  '  went  down  :  Look  at  this  splendid  audience,  all 
gazing  upon  you,  and  longing  to  do  you  honor  !  Never  forget, 
when  again  you  go  to  sea  in  your  country's  cause,  how  many 
thousands  are  still  watching  you  !  Never  think  you  are 
forgotten;  stand  by  the  old  flag  as  you  have  already  done. 
This  naval  battle,  in  which  you  have  shared,  will  be  part  of  our 
nation's  history,  and  your  gallant  conduct  will  be  known  all 
over  the  world.  May  every  blessing  follow  you,  and  may  you 
all  at  last  cast  anchor  in  the  haven  of  eternal  rest !  " 


IN    WAR    TIMES.  203 

Upon  reaching  the  Metropolis  from  Fortress  Mon 
roe,  Mr.  Dodge  resumed  his  patriotic  labors.  Honors 
which  were  in  the  nature  of  heavy  responsibilities 
were  thrust  upon  him.  Chairmanships  of  this, 
that,  and  the  other  committee — chairmanships  with 
out  number  were  urged  upon  him,  most  of  them 
having  reference  to  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the 
war. 

Just  now  there  was  great  distress  in  the  English 
cotton  manufacturing  county  of  Lancashire,  caused 
by  the  stoppage  of  supplies  of  the  raw  material, 
which  came  mainly  from  the  Southern  States,  at 
present  under  an  embargo.  Singularly  enough,  those 
poor  operatives  over  there  were  the  devoted  friends 
of  the  North,  although  they  handled  the  staple  of  the 
South.  The  truth  is,  they  understood  the  nature  of 
our  struggle,  and  desired  the  American  Union  to 
exist  as  the  rampart  of  liberty.  The  "  masses  "  were 
wiser  than  the  "  classes  "  ;  wiser  even  than  the  coiner 
of  that  phrase  ;  for  Mr.  Gladstone,  since  the  apostle 
of  freedom,  was  then,  unlike  his  life-long  friend,  John 
Bright,  a  sympathizer  with  secession — a  large  blot  on 
a  bright  sun.  The  Lancashire  mills  were  shut  down. 
The  working  people  were  shut  out  to  freeze  or  starve. 
Yet,  though  face  to  face  with  death  because  of  our 
troubles,  and  at  an  hour  when  the  British  govern 
ment  was  scheming  in  connection  with  Napoleon 
III.,  of  France,  to  recognize,  if  not  aid,  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  Confederate  States,  these  heroes 
never  wavered,  but  co-operated  with  other  friends  of 
America  in  England  to  checkmate  the  plot  of  the 
aristocracy. 

Apprised  of  all  this  through  his  English   connec- 


204  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

tions  (for  the  English  branch  of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co. 
was  one  of  the  most  important  channels  of  early  and 
reliable  foreign  information  then  possessed  by  our 
country),  and  moved  as  well  by  patriotism  as  by  the 
natural  kindness  of  his  heart,  Mr.  Dodge  initiated  the 
movement  which  resulted  into  the  securing  and  for 
warding  of  ample  supplies  of  money,  food  and  cloth 
ing  to  the  Lancashire  sufferers.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  Relief,  subscribed  in  the 
name  of  his  firm  $5,000  towards  the  international 
fund,  and  through  agents  superintended  the  distri 
bution  of  the  cargo  of  good-will  on  the  other  side. 
It  is  pleasant  to  record  that  the  aid  was  received  in 
the  spirit  of  its  tender.  In  Liverpool  and  in  Man 
chester  mass-meetings  were  held,  at  which  apprecia 
tive  resolutions  were  passed,  and  the  laboring  popu 
lations  pledged  themselves  to  remain  on  the  side  of 
human  freedom  and  popular  government. 

One  evening  Mr.  Dodge  attended  a  dinner  given  to 
a  distinguished  English  visitor,  while  these  events 
were  transpiring.  Being  called  upon  to  say  some 
thing,  he  alluded,  for  the  benefit  of  the  guest,  to  the 
assertions  of  the  enemies  of  the  Union  at  home  and 
abroad,  that  the  country  was  "  ruined  "  : 

"  I  am  sure  our  honored  friend,  as  he  passed  from  city  to  city 
in  our  land,  saw  no  evidence  of  such  '  ruin,'  but  everywhere 
witnessed  rapid  growth  and  increasing  prosperity ;  and  I  beg 
him  to  carry  with  him  across  the  sea  the  fact  that  in  no  three 
years  of  our  history  have  we  made  such  material  advancement 
as  during  the  past  three.  Our  home  and  foreign  trade,  in  the 
midst  of  civil  war,  is  a  wonder  to  ourselves,  the  imports  being 
equal  to  the  largest  years  when  cotton  formed  two-thirds  of  our 
exports.  Our  internal  traffic  has  been  beyond  all  precedent, 


IN    WAR    TIMES.  205 

and  the  receipts  of  our  railways  and  canals  have  been  more 
than  doubled.  We  ask  our  distinguished  guest,  on  his  return 
to  his  own  country,  to  tell  the  merchants  of  Liverpool  and 
other  English  cities  that  we  are  not  'ruined,'  but  that  American 
merchants  are  ready  to  be,  if  it  is  necessary  to  save  our  Union!' 

But  as  the  war  continued  there  was,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  a  reaction  from  the  intense  feeling 
exhibited  at  the  outset.  The  Union  forces  fought  at 
a  disadvantage — were  raw  hands,  often  unable  on 
entering  the  army  to  tell  the  breech  from  the  muzzle 
of  a  rifle  —  unaccustomed  to  their  environment — 
marching  through  a  strange  country — confronted  by 
a  war -like  people  who  were  battling  on  and  for  their 
own  soil.  "They  need  time  and  experience," 
remarked  Mr.  Dodge,  one  day,  "  to  get  the  hang  of 
the  thing."  While  they  were  getting  this,  the  South 
was  scoring  success  after  success,  in  Virginia,  along 
the  Mississippi,  on  the  coast  line  of  the  Carolinas — 
all  over  the  field.  Despondency  settled  like  a  gloomy, 
ominous  cloud  over  the  North.  The  expenses  of  war 
carried  on  over  so  vast  a  territory,  and  of  the  main 
tenance  of  the  most  extensive  commercial  blockade 
ever  known  in  history,  piled  up  a  mountain  of  debt. 
Taxation  became  onerous  ;  the  tax-gatherer  inquisi 
tive  and  exacting.  Specie  melted  out  of  sight,  and 
gold  went  kiting  up  to  a  premium  of  280.  Paper 
money  was  made  a  legal  tender,  and  was  popularly 
regarded  as  on  a  par  with  the  Continental  scrip 
which  stirred  the  contemptuous  wrath  of  the  men  of 
the  Revolution.  Volunteering,  in  the  absence  of 
enthusiasm,  fell  off,  and  the  largest  bounties  failed  to 
call  forth  recruits.  Worst  of  all,  the  voice  of  dis 
loyalty,  over-awed  in  1861  by  the  splendid  spectacle 


206  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

of  a  nation's  fury,  began  now  at  first  to  whisper 
treason,  and  then  to  proclaim  it  loudly  and  widely. 
Finally,  the  government  resorted  to  conscription,  in 
order  to  fill  up  the  depleted  ranks  of  the  army.  Then 
a  storm  of  dissatisfaction  burst  upon  the  administra 
tion  from  the  rear,  to  reinforce  the  storm  of  steel  and 
lead  raging  at  the  front. 

Presently,  this  storm  in  the  rear  changed  from  a 
mere  rain  of  censure  into  a  cyclone  of  riot.  Mobs 
paraded  the  great  cities  of  the  country,  on  pretext  of 
resisting  the  draft,  but  really  to  give  aid  and  comfort 
to  the  South,  by  starting  a  campaign  of  terrorism  and 
spoliation  at  home.  The  City  of  New  York  was 
actually  captured  and  held  for  several  days  by  these 
"  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort."  Negroes,  guilty 
only  of  not  having  a  white  skin  (as  to  whiteness  of 
soul  they  might  have  safely  challenged  comparison 
with  the  mobocrats),  were  hung  on  sight.  The  ware 
houses  and  residences  of  prominent  and  wealthy 
Union  men  were  threatened — Mr.  Dodge  being 
specially  honored  with  execrations  and  singled  out  as 
a  target  for  treason  to  shoot  at.  How  he  and  his 
escaped  is  a  miracle.  It  wras  not  without  vigorous 
action  on  the  part  of  the  authorities,  aided  by  the 
personal  efforts  of  the  better  classes  of  citizens,  that  the 
city  was  recaptured  by  law  and  order — retaken  by 
fierce  battles  in  the  streets  and  the  healthy  bleeding 
of  the  rioters. 

Through  all  these  trying  experiences,  whether  local 
or  national,  Mr.  Dodge  acted  in  the  spirit  of  Milton, 
after  the  restoration  of  Charles  II.,  and  the  down 
fall  of  his  party,  when,  though  blind,  in  poverty,  and 
under  the  frown  of  the  throne,  he  said  : 


IN    WAR    TIMES.  207 

"I  argue  not 

Against  heaven's  hand  or  will,  nor  bate  a  jot 

Of  heart  or  hope  ;  but  still  bear  up  and  steer  right  onward." 

His  courage  was  infectious.  His  activities  were 
unsleeping.  His  counsel  was  sought  and  followed  at 
the  White  House  as  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  A 
great  part  of  the  time  he  was  like  a  bird  on  the  wing — 
in  Cliff  Street,  in  Philadelphia,  in  Baltimore,  in 
Chicago,  at  the  Capital  in  conference  with  Secretary 
Seward  or  Secretary  Stanton  ;  everywhere  by  starts 
and  nowhere  long.  It  is  a  wonder  that  he  did  not 
break  down.  But  God  had  still  much  for  him  to  do. 
In  his  own  class,  a  timid  class,  a  selfish  class,  an 
unpatriotic  class,  as  a  rule  (wealth  and  trade  are 
certainly  self-centered),  his  influence  was  wholly  good. 
He  did  much  to  create  and  maintain  loyal  sentiments 
on  Wall  Street  and  along  Fifth  Avenue.  The  Union 
League,  a  club  originated  for  the  distinct  purpose  of 
pledging  and  holding  the  higher  social  elements  to  an 
unwavering  support  of  the  government,  secured  his 
patronage  and  enrolled  his  name.  Other  bodies,  with 
a  similar  patriotic  purpose,  were  certain  to  receive  his 
countenance  and  support. 

In  February,  1863,  Mr.  Dodge  acted  in  conjunction 
with  the  venerable  General  Winfield  Scott  as  chair 
man  of  a  great  meeting  held  in  the  New  York  Aca 
demy  of  Music  under  the  auspices  of  the  "Christian 
Commission  " — the  object  being  to  win  public  support. 

A  year  later  a  similar  gathering  convened  in  the 
same  vast  audience  room,  at  which  he  presided.  The 
bloody  battles  of  the  Wilderness  were  in  progress, 
and  the  smoke  from  the  conflict  seemed  to  fill  the  air. 
In  tones  faltering  with  emotion,  he  said  : 


208  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

"  We  are  met  under  circumstances  few  anticipated.  Proba 
bly  thousands  of  our  fellow-citizens  are  to-night  bleeding  and 
dying — our  fathers,  our  brothers,  our  friends,  who  have  gone 
out  in  our  stead  to  breast  this  terrible  rebellion  !  Ah,  go  to 
your  own  home  !  See  that  beloved  one  on  a  bed  of  sickness 
and  anguish  !  See  how  love— tender,  compassionate  love — 
watches  every  symptom  ;  how  the  physician  comes  and  goes  ; 
how  everything  is  done  to  bring  relief !  Multiply  that  loved 
one  by  all  that  are  in  this  house  ;  then  multiply  it  again  ten 
times  over.  They  are  not  lying  in  that  comfortable  room,  on 
that  soft  bed,  nursed  by  the  tenderest  care.  They  are  out  on 
the  field  ;  they  are  down  along  the  road-side  ;  they  are  away  in 
the  woods.  They  are  alone,  striving  to  stanch  their  own 
wounds ;  thirsting,  looking,  calling  for  help — dying  for  us  ! 
And  now  we  are  here  to-night,  in  the  midst  of  our  own 
comforts  and  blessings,  to  ask  what  we  can  do  for  these  noble, 
suffering  men." 

His  precient  mind  also  foresaw  and  provided  for 
the  necessities  of  the  future,  when  the  pen  of  history 
would  make  up  the  record  of  these  war  times. 
Accordingly  Mr.  Dodge  united  one  or  two  other 
patriotic  citizens  with  himself,  and  despatched  to 
influential  persons  in  Europe,  and  to  the  chief  libra 
ries,  copies  of  the  "  Rebellion  Record,"  consisting  of 
documentary  evidence,  gleaned  from  all  sources, 
bearing  upon  the  issues  involved.  He  desired 
posterity  to  know  how  right  this  nation  was,  and 
how  wrong  the  architects  of  ruin. 

Well,  at  last  the  morning  came — the  storm  began 
to  roll  away.  President  Lincoln's  Proclamation  of 
Emancipation,  issued  on  the  22d  of  September,  1862, 
gave  the  first  glimpse  of  the  outbursting  light.  The 
victory  of  Grant  at  Vicksburg  (a  Fourth  of  July  gift 
to  Uncle  Sam),  the  defeat  of  Lee  at  Gettysburg 


IN    WAR    TIMES.  2OQ 

(another  of  the  same  sort),  the  swinging  march  of 
Sherman  to  the  sea — these  were  so  many  added  views 
of  the  serene  blue  caught  through  the  rifts.  Finally, 
under  the  famous  Appomattox  apple  tree,  the  sun 
broke  completely  through  the  scurrying  clouds,  and 
flung  a  rainbow  to  span  the  long-embattled  sections 
into  peace  and  unity. 

Previously  to  this  last  auspicious  event,  and  hasten 
ing  it,  the  presidential  election  of  1864  occurred,  in 
which  Abraham  Lincoln  was  reflected  by  an  unprece 
dented  majority,  his  opponent,  General  George  B.  Mc- 
Clellan,  receiving  but  21  votes  out  of  242  in  the 
Electoral  College. 

As  an  incident  of  this  general  battle  of  ballots,  Mr. 
Dodge  was  elected  to  the  National  House  of  Repre 
sentatives  from  the  Eighth  Congressional  District  in 
the  city  of  New  York. 

The  nomination  was  unsought  by  and  unknown  to 
him  at  the  time.  Neither  his  personal  tastes  nor  his 
multifarious  activities  gave  him  any  relish  for  local 
politics.  He  had  little  respect  for  office-seekers,  but 
much  sympathy  for  office-holders.  He  despised 
those  politicians  who  live  by  whispering  in  Washing 
ton  what  they  would  not  for  the  world  have  known 
at  home,  and  by  whispering  at  home  what  they  would 
not  for  the  world  have  known  in  Washington,  and 
who  are  politically  dead  the  moment  they  are  equally 
well  known  in  both  places. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  attending  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  American  Board  of  Commis 
sioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  when  he  received  the 
official  announcement  of  his  nomination.  It  ran,  in 
part,  as  follows  : 


210  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

"  Your  fellow-citizens  of  the  Eighth  Congressional 
District  believe  that  you  are  the  only  man  in  it  who 
can  carry  the  district  in  the  interests  of  good  govern 
ment  and  union.  On  this  account  we  have  made 
bold,  against  your  knowledge  and  wishes,  to  use  your 
name.  It  has  been  received  in  every  quarter  with  the 
highest  commendation." 

This  district  was  now  represented  by  Mr.  James 
Brooks,  whose  principles  were  in  his  brains,  of  which 
he  had  plenty.  He  was  an  influential  leader  of  the 
opposition  to  the  war  both  in  and  out  of  Congress. 
From  the  editorial  Sanctum  of  an  important  metro 
politan  newspaper  (since  converted  to  better  views) 
he  championed  the  "  rights  of  the  South,"  and  played 
the  part  of  Benedict  Arnold  towards  the  North.  Mr. 
Brooks  held  the  district,  and  had  done  so  at  three 
previous  elections,  by  the  grace  (not  of  God),  but  of 
an  ignorant  and  unscrupulous  constituency.  To 
displace  him  seemed  a  forlorn  hope.  But  victory  was 
in  the  air.  The  union  elements  in  the  district  were 
intensely  desirous  of  redeeming  it.  Laying  aside  all 
minor  differences,  they  combined  to  recognize  Mr. 
Dodge  as  their  White  Plume  of  Navarre. 

The  Eighth  Congressional  District  was  bounded  on 
the  south  by  Fourteenth  Street,  on  the  north  by 
Forty-second  Street,  on  the  west  by  Fifth  Avenue, 
and  on  the  east  by  the  East  River.  It  was  at  once 
the  most  respectable  and  the  most  disreputable 
quarter  of  the  city.  Included  among  its  voters  were 
every  grade  and  variety  of  men,  from  the  kid-gloved 
denizens  of  Murray  Hill  to  the  thugs  of  "  Mackerel- 
ville  " — a  medley  of  millionaires  and  loafers. 

With  great  reluctance,  out  of  a  sense  of  absolute 


IN    WAR    TIMES.  211 

duty,   Mr.    Dodge  accepted   the   nomination   in   the 
following  letter  : 

"  GENTLEMEN  :  Your  note  of  this  date,  informing  me  of  the 
honor  done  me  by  the  Union  Convention  in  nominating  me  as 
their  candidate  for  Congress,  is  received.  You  truly  state  that 
the  position  was  neither  sought  nor  desired  by  me.  It  is  a 
grateful  and  unexpected  tribute  of  confidence  from  my  friends 
and  neighbors.  Did  I  consult  those  dictates  of  personal 
comfort  and  private  interest  which  you  seem  to  think  should  be 
disregarded  at  this  time,  I  should  refuse  the  nomination  ;  but 
when  so  many  are  perilling  their  lives  for  our  common  cause,  I 
have  not  the  courage  to  refuse  any  duty,  however  laborious,  to 
which  I  may  be  called.  If  my  fellow-citizens  deem  that  my 
voice  and  influence  in  the  National  Congress  can  contribute  to 
the  support  of  that  Government  and  Union,  by  which  alone 
our  existence  is  made  sure,  that  influence,  whatever  it  may 
be,  shall  not  be  withheld.  I  should  at  least  hope  to  serve 
somewhat  the  commercial  interests  of  the  city  with  which  I 
have  been  so  long  identified." 

The  canvass  was  spirited — a  canvass  of  lies  and  mud 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Dodge's  opponents,  who  fought 
after  the  manner  of  their  kind.  The  election  took 
place.  A  total  vote  was  cast  in  the  district  of  twenty- 
two  thousand.  Returns  brought  to  police  head 
quarters  gave  Mr.  Dodge  a  majority  of  above  seven 
hundred  votes.  But  Mr.  Brooks,  yonder  in  his 
editorial  sanctum,  hocus-pocused  the  associated  press 
reports,  and  flashed  over  the  country  a  bogus 
majority  for  himself  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
The  result  was  a  vexatious  and  wearisome  contest  for 
the  seat,  of  which  more  anon. 

At  the  close  of  1864,  Mr.  Dodge  served  on  a  general 
committee  to  provide  a  testimonial  for  Admiral 


212  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Farragut — Admirable  Farragut,  as  a  school  boy  got  it, 
truthfully  enough,  when  he  went  up  to  the  naval 
hero  to  present  the  respects  of  his  classmates.  This 
was  a  service  rendered  from  the  heart  ;  for  the 
merchant  was  an  admirer  of  the  grand  old  salt  who 
had  himself  lashed  in  the  rigging  of  his  flag-ship, 
and  so  directed  the  storm  of  shot  and  shell  which 
helped  to  wreck  the  rebellion, 


SEVENTH     DECADE 

(i865-75.    ^ET  60-70.) 


CHAPTER     I. 

AFTER-MATH. 

LEE  surrendered  to  Grant  on  the  Qth  of  April,  1865  ; 
so  that  the  war  lasted  within  three  days  of  four  years, 
counting  from  the  assault  upon  Fort  Sumter.  Again 
the  nation  went  mad — this  time  with  joy.  Men 
embraced  one  another  on  the  streets.  The  United 
States  uniform  was  a  passport  anywhere,  everywhere. 
Northern  disloyalists  made  haste  to  get  a  new  name 
or  to  hide  their  diminished  heads.  Nothing  succeeds 
like  success.  Suddenly  it  appeared  that  everybody 
had  always  favored  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion 
at  any  cost  !  Webster's  famous  utterance  years 
before  in  reply  to  Hayne,  "  Liberty  and  union,  one 
and  inseparable,  now  and  forever  !  "  became  the  uni 
versal  motto.  It  was  decided  to  commemorate  the 
salvation  of  the  Union  on  a  scale  which  should  signify 
the  importance  of  the  occasion.  Mr.  Dodge  was  a 
chief  promoter  and  an  efficient  organizer  of  the  giant 
demonstration  which  followed,  and  marked  an  epoch. 
In  the  midst  of  this  joyous  excitement  he  was 
not  forgetful  of  his  many  other  interests.  Business  was 
steadily  looked  after.  Above  all,  his  concern  for  the 
moral  and  religious  welfare  of  men  found  incessant 
manifestation. 

While  the  boom  of  Grant's  victorious  cannon 
sounded  over  the  continent  and  across  the  sea,  he 


WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 


went  down  to  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Twenty- 
second  Street  and  made  an  address  at  the  opening  of 
the  rooms  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
—a  society  always  near  his  heart,  and  of  which  his 
eldest  son  and  name-sake  was  then  the  president. 
Afterwards  he  was  a  large  subscriber  to  the  fund 
towards  the  erection  of  the  palace  in  which  the 
association  is  now  housed  at  the  corner  of  Twenty- 
third  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue.  He  was  delighted  to 
feel  that  the  young  men  of  the  great  city  where  he 
dwelt  were  so  commodiously  quartered.  The  associa 
tion  owes  not  a  little  to  the  efforts  of  the  two  Dodges, 
father  and  son.  It  does  credit  to  their  foresight  and 
benevolence.  It  works  now  through  eleven  highly 
organized  branches,  planted  at  strategic  points,  North 
and  South,  East  and  West,  on  Manhattan  Island.  It 
sub-divides  its  work  into  various  departments,  reli 
gious,  physical,  educational,  literary,  social,  entertain 
ment,  employment,  visitation,  and  a  dozen  more. 
Under  its  auspices  a  young  man  may  do  anything 
that  is  respectable  —  learn  a  useful  trade,  get  a  situa 
tion,  lead  a  prayer-meeting,  play  a  game  of  ten-pins, 
attend  a  "sociable,"  listen  "to  a  lecture  or  concert, 
study  a  language,  enjoy  an  outing,  practice  in  a  gym 
nasium,  secure  a  lodging,  lounge  in  a  superb  reading 
room,  draw  books  from  a  magnificent  library,  join  a 
glee-club  —  why,  he  might  come  into  the  association 
as  a  dunce  and  graduate  an  Admirable  Crichton, 
developed  in  body,  mind  and  soul. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  episode,  a  loyal  church  in 
Baltimore  asked  Mr.  Dodge  to  come  on  and  speak  in 
a  course  of  lectures,  undertaken  in  the  hope  of  freeing 
it  from  debt.  A  liberty-loving  church,  in  an  unsym- 


AFTER-MATH.  21 7 

pathetic  community,  almost  under  the  hammer  of  the 
auctioneer  !  What  appeal  could  be  stronger,  or  more 
certain  to  be  heard  and  answered  by  such  a  man  ? 
Although  over-weighted  and  pressed  from  all  sides, 
he  went.  A  splendid  audience  greeted  him,  for  his 
reputation  as  a  Christian  merchant,  philanthropist 
and  patriot  preceded  him  and  acted  like  a  magnet. 
As  he  gazed  upon  the  upturned  faces  he  beheld  the 
best  representatives  of  the  commercial,  ecclesiastical 
and  loyal  people  of  Baltimore.  Mr.  Dodge  chose  as 
his  theme  "  The  Influence  of  the  War  upon  National 
Prosperity."  As  this  was  one  of  his  most  notable 
utterances,  on  a  subject  of  which  he  was  master,  we 
reproduce  some  striking  passages  of  the  lecture. 

After  congratulating  his  hearers  that  they  were 
assembled  in  the  free  city  of  Baltimore,  and  that 
Maryland  was  now  forever  delivered  from  the  curse 
of  slavery,  he  proceeded  : 

"  Until  this  war  began,  I  never  was  known  as  an  Abolitionist. 
I  was  not  indifferent  to  the  evils  of  human  bondage  ;  but  I  had 
early  identified  myself  with  the  colonization  movement,  and  I 
also  felt  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  North  sacredly  to  maintain  the 
constitutional  rights  of  the  South.  It  was  with  these  senti 
ments  I  went,  in  January,  1861,  to  Washington,  as  one  of  the 
delegates  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  labored 
there  to  save  the  country  from  disunion.  With  the  same  feel 
ings  I  entered  upon  my  duties  in  the  Peace  Convention.  I 
urged  upon  that  body  the  necessity,  if  we  would  have  peace  and 
unity,  of  securing  to  the  South  all  its  constitutional  guarantees  ; 
and  I  urged  upon  Southern  members  their  obligation  to  yield  to 
the  great  public  sentiment  of  the  country  and  of  the  world,  and 
agree  that  slavery  should  be  held  within  the  "bounds  named  in 
the  Constitution.  But  all  such  efforts  failed.  The  conflict 
was  precipitated.  The  Constitution  was  trampled  under 


2l8  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

foot.  War,  with  all  its  unspeakable  miseries,  was  chosen  by 
the  South. 

"  I  never  ceased  to  feel  that  the  hand  of  Providence  was  in 
all  this,  that  while  individuals  were  none  the  less  guilty,  the 
same  wonderful  power  that  can  bring  light  out  of  darkness  and 
make  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him,  would  bring  out  of  this 
evil  great  and  ultimate  good.  Nor,  when  we  speak  of  material 
prosperity,  do  we  forget  for  one  moment  the  blood,  the  tears, 
this  war  has  cost.  More  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
brave  men  have  gone  out  from  among  us  and  met  a  cruel  death, 
to  preserve  our  inestimable  liberties  and  hand  them  down  to 
posterity.  Let  us  cherish  their  memory,  and  feel  that,  under 
God,  we  owe  to  them  all  we  have  gained. 

"  At  the  first  outbreak  of  the  war  many  true  lovers  of  their 
country  doubted  whether  the  means  necessary  to  carry  it  on 
could  possibly  be  provided  ;  and  when  the  Government  decided 
to  issue  a  national  currency— the  representative  of  coin,  and  a 
legal  tender  for  past  and  future  debts — it  was  an  untried  experi 
ment.  Its  expediency  was  questioned.  Many  denounced  the 
measure,  and  bespoke  for  it  certain  failure.  If  you  go  back  to 
the  winter  of  1 862-63  you  will  recollect  the  general  depression 
over  the  land.  There  was  want  of  public  confidence,  doubt  of 
our  ability  to  continue  the  war  ;  and  the  deep  dark  cloud  upon 
our  finances  did  not  give  way  until  the  amount  of  currency 
thrown  into  the  volume  of  circulation  had  begun  to  be  felt  in  the 
increase  of  business.  The  Government  well  knew  that  the 
.prices  of  material  for  the  war  would  be  enhanced  and  the  debt 
swollen  ;  but  they  saw  that  if  the  heart  of  the  nation — the  great 
manufacturing,  commercial  and  agricultural  interests — were  de 
pressed,  the  struggle  could  not  be  maintained.  The  impetus 
given  to  trade  helped  the  Government  to  sell  its  bonds.  The 
wisdom  of  its  policy  was  vindicated. 

"  Let  me  call  your  attention  to  a  remarkable  interposition  of 
Providence.  The  crops  in  1861,  1862,  1863,  particularly  in  the 
West,  were  unusually  abundant,  and  at  the  same  time  the  crops 
in  England  and  on  the  Continent  were  below  an  average.  For 
ten  years  previous  two-thirds  of  our  exports  consisted  of  cotton  ; 


AFTER-MATH.  2IQ 

but  this  was  now  entirely  out  of  our  hands.  How  could  the 
deficiency  be  met  !  A  drought  in  England  and  Europe  in  1861 
and  1862  opened  foreign  ports  to  receive  in  those  two  years  a 
value  of  over  two  hundred  millions  of  the  products  of  our  soil. 
The  balance  of  trade  was  turned  in  our  favor,  and  in  those  years 
England  sent  us  more  than  sixty  millions  of  gold.  And  look  at 
the  variety  of  these  exports !  To  mention  a  single  instance  : 
The  firm  with  which  I  am  connected  in  Liverpool  have  within 
the  last  three  years  received  and  paid  over  to  a  house  in  New 
York  more  than  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  sewing- 
machines,  sold  for  one  company.  The  amount  for  Yankee 
clocks  has  not  been  quite  as  much,  but  it  has  been  very  large  ; 
they  are  ticking  all  over  England. 

"  But  there  are  those  who  still  continue  to  prophesy  ruin. 
They  look  all  around,  and  are  angry  because  the  country  refuses 
to  be  ruined.  See  what  great  interests  have  received  a  stimulus 
from  the  war.  Look,  for  example,  at  the  marvellous  develop 
ment  of  our  mineral  productions  during  the  past  four  years. 
Our  coal,  iron,  gold,  silver,  lead,  copper  and  zinc  mines  have  at 
tracted  attention  never  before  known,  and  millions  have  been 
invested  in  working  them.  Our  coal  and  iron  industries  are 
taking  a  position  that  will  soon  make  us  independent  of  Eng 
land.  Mining  and  other  companies  and  undertakings  are  pro 
jected  constantly,  and  the  people  have  the  money  to  take  hold 
of  them.  Our  gigantic  war  debt  swells  up  its  vast  proportions  ; 
and  yet,  by  the  blessing  of  God  upon  our  land,  how  easily  we 
handle  and  carry  it !  When  General  Jackson,  as  President,  ve 
toed  the  old  United  States  Bank,  the  whole  country  stood  aghast 
at  the  prospect  of  twenty  millions  being  withdrawn  from  circula 
tion.  Now  we  take  a  loan  of  five  hundred  millions  in  a  few 
weeks — three  millions  a  day  of  voluntary  subscription  to  Govern 
ment  securities  ;  and  not  by  the  wealthiest  class,  nor  mainly  by 
banks  and  insurance  companies,  but  by  the  people — two  thou 
sand  applications  daily,  in  sums  less  than  a  hundred  dollars ! 
Everyman  who  invests  his  money  in  this  way  takes  hold  of  the 
Government,  and  he  is  going  to  hold  on.  And  still  those  who  all 
through  the  war  were  saying,  '  We  cannot  get  the  men  !  We 


22O  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

cannot  get  the  money  ! '  are  crying  out,  '  We  can  never  pay  the 
interest  on  our  great  debt ! ' 

"  The  kind  Providence  who  has  been  watching  over  us  and 
preparing  us  for  this  crisis,  schooling  us  in  the  art  of  agriculture 
until  the  fields  almost  plough  and  plant  themselves  and  gather 
their  own  crops — the  same  beneficent  Hand  has  supplied  us 
with  these  untold  deposits  of  gold  and  silver,  and  the  production 
of  gold  to-day  is  reduced  to  a  science.  There  is  no  more  shak 
ing  out  of  gold-dust  by  a  rude  '  pan.'  Quartz-crushing  mills, 
with  immense  stone  buildings  and  costly  machinery,  are  in  use  ; 
and  though  at  present  this  machinery  must  be  carried  long  dis 
tances  by  teams,  we  shall  see  in  less  than  ten  years  railroads  as 
cending  the  slopes  of  those  mountains,  and  passing  from  here  to 
San  Francisco  right  alongside  of  the  gold  and  silver  mines,  and 
those  dreary  wastes  will  be  dotted  with  towns  and  villages. 
Another  as  remarkable  evidence  of  Providential  care  is  to  be 
found  in  the  wealth  which  has  suddenly  sprung  up  from  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  where  it  has  apparently  been  kept  for  ages 
to  meet  this  crisis.  Already  petroleum  forms  a  large  item  in 
our  exports,  and  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  prominent  inter 
ests  of  the  land. 

"  What  has  been  the  effect  of  the  war  upon  our  transportation 
system  ?  In  importance  railroads  stand  next  to  agriculture. 
Take  the  actual  increase  of  tonnage  on  the  Erie  Canal  and  the 
three  leading  railways,  the  Erie,  the  New  York  Central  and  the 
Pennsylvania.  We  shall  find,  in  four  years,  up  to  1863,  an  ad 
vance  of  nearly  fifty  per  cent.  The  passenger  traffic  on  most  of 
our  railroads  has  also  been  beyond  all  precedent.  The  statis 
tics  of  trade  centering  at  Chicago  alone  would  show  a  rate  of 
progress  singularly  instructive.  Or  see  what  emigration  has 
done  for  us  since  the  war  began — eight  hundred  thousand  for 
eigners  have  come  to  our  shores. 

"  These  years  have  also  brought  to  the  people,  as  a  mass,  a 
large  degree  of  prosperity.  They  are  generally  out  of  debt. 
This  has  extended  to  institutions.  Hundreds  of  churches,  bur 
dened  with  debt  when  the  war  began,  are  free  to-day.  The 
amount  of  endowments  to  public  and  literary  institutions  of 


AFTER-MATH.  221 

various  kinds  has  been  unequalled  in  our  history.  Our  mis 
sionary  boards,  for  which  so  many  trembled,  never  before  re 
ceived  such  liberal  donations.  Recall  also  the  millions  expended 
through  the  Sanitary  and  the  Christian  Commissions,  and  the 
generous  provision  for  the  families  of  the  soldiers. 

"  Yet,  some  insist  we  are  to  have  a  great  revulsion.  I  do  not 
believe  it.  A  year  ago  gold  was  280.  To-day  it  is  180.  With 
our  success  it  will  gradually  decline,  and  the  prices  of  labor  and 
products  will  also  decline.  We  cannot  at  once  return  to  a 
specie  basis,  but  we  shall  do  as  we  have  done  before — adjust 
ourselves  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times.  As  soon  as  it  can  be 
shown  that  we  can  pay  the  interest  on  our  debt,  every  man  will 
want  to  keep  his  Government  bonds,  and  our  friends  across  the 
water  will  also  be  anxious  to  obtain  them.  Then  the  currency 
will  slowly  be  absorbed  and  become  part  of  our  bonded  debt, 
and  in  time  all  the  Government  indebtedness  will  be  in  the  form 
of  bonds.  Our  State  National  banks  will  fill  up  the  vacuum  of 
circulation,  and  we  shall  return  to  specie  payments. 

"  Many  who  hear  me  will  live  to  see  the  trade  of  the  far  East 
coming  to  our  Western  coast.  Lines  of  steamers  will  make 
their  regular  trips  to  Japan,  China  and  India,  and  their  cargoes 
will  cross  our  entire  continent  by  rail,  instead  of  going  around 
the  capes. 

"  The  influence  of  the  war,  moreover,  will  advance  the  mate 
rial  interests  of  the  South  more  decidedly  than  those  of  the  North. 
The  South  will  become  equal  to  and  greater  than  before,  enjoy 
ing  a  prosperity  it  could  never  have  attained  under  slavery.  The 
masses  there  cannot  but  be  stimulated  by  contact  with  the  enter 
prise  of  the  East  and  of  the  North,  which  will  now  be  attracted  to 
the  South.  Schools,  newspapers,  churches  and  books,  will  be 
more  abundant.  The  children  of  the  poor  will  be  educated,  the 
people  will  be  elevated,  and  the  negroes  be  taught  to  read  and 
made  more  capable  of  intelligent  labor.  Manufactories  will 
spring  up,  and  a  general  and  unprecedented  prosperity  will 
gradually  be  enjoyed. 

"  With  the  blessing  of  God  upon  our  regenerated  and  united 
country,  we  may  anticipate  that  the  year  1885  shall  find  us  with  a 


222  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

population  of  sixty  millions,  stretching  in  unbroken  lines  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific." 

Remember,  all  this  was  said  in  March,  1865.  What 
now  reads  like  history  was  then  prophecy.  Mr. 
Dodge  seems  to  have  borrowed  for  this  occasion 
Isaiah's  inspiration.  The  lecturer  was  a  seer.  Glance 
over  again  what  he  says  about  the  Government  bonds, 
about  the  carriage  of  freight  and  passengers  across 
the  entire  continent  by  rail,  about  the  advancement 
of  the  material  interests  of  the  South  under  freedom, 
about  the  education  of  whites  and  blacks  in  Dixie  ; 
and,  in  the  last  paragraph,  about  the  increase  of  the 
national  population  ;  and  then  answer  whether  the 
speaker  that  night  was  not  a  prophet  !  But  he  did 
not  content  himself  with  mere  predictions.  He 
turned  to  and  helped  realize  them.  As  Moses  looked 
over  from  the  summit  of  Pisgah  into  the  promised 
land,  so  he  was  permitted  to  see  the  fulfillment  of  his 
words.  There  are  two  great  classes  in  human  society. 
One  goes  to  work  and  does  something,  the  other  lies 
down  under  a  juniper  tree  and  says,  "  It  can't  be 
done."  And  when  it  is  done,  asks,  "  Why  didn't  you 
do  it  in  some  other  way  ?  "  Mr.  Dodge  belonged  to 
the  first  class. 

"  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death."  Grief  bursts 
in  on  joy  and  turns  it  to  mourning.  While  shouts  of 
triumph  rend  the  air,  and  congratulations  are  the 
order  of  the  day,  President  Lincoln  is  struck  down  by 
an  assassin  !  Who  that  witnessed  it  will  ever  forget 
the  i4th  of  April,  1865  !  The  laughter  turned  into 
hysterics  ;  the  feeling  of  good-will  curdled  into  hate  ; 
the  commingled  horror  and  consternation  ;  the  wild 
cry  for  vengeance,  which  found  poor  satisfaction  in 


AFTER-MATH.  223 

the  death  of  the  theatrical  murderer  ;  the  world-wide 
sympathy  expressing  itself  in  appreciative  eulogy— 
who  can  forget  it  ?  Mr.  Dodge  was  one  of  the  dele 
gation  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  the  funeral. 
He  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  well  ;  had  been  his  frequent 
guest,  his  ardent  supporter,  his  wise  counsellor.  He 
recognized  under  the  uncouth  personality  God's 
prophet  of  humanity,  who  had  called  to  the  battle 
field  a  million  men,  who  had  emancipated  a  race,  and 
who,  over  a  mighty  graveyard  of  dead  heroes,  had 
spoken  words  sure  to  live  and  breathe  through  the 
ages. 

Nor  did  he  forget  the  living  in  grief  for  the  dead. 
With  other  prominent  citizens  he  united  in  sending 
toVice-President  Johnson  an  address  of  encourage 
ment,  as  he  entered  the  shadowed  White  House  under 
such  startling  circumstances. 

The  statue  of  Lincoln,  which  adorns  Union  Square, 
in  New  York  City,  was  cast  and  placed  largely 
through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Dodge. 

In  the  autumn  of  1865  a  wail  of  famine  came  from 
the  South.  The  crops  had  been  trampled  down  by 
both  armies.  The  live  stock  had  been  the  plunder 
alike  of  Union  and  Confederate  foragers.  Barns  and 
fences  were  destroyed.  The  farmers  were,  thousands 
of  them,  in  the  grave.  Two  thousand  millions  of 
property  had  been  transformed  into  self-owning  men 
and  women.  There  had  been  neither  time  nor  oppor 
tunity  for  readjustment.  The  South  was  "  like  Niobe, 
all  tears." 

The  "  American  Union  Commission  "  was  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  relieving  the  sufferers.  In  October, 
1865,  at  a  meeting  held  under  its  auspices,  in  Chicago, 


224  WILLIAM   E.    DODGE. 

Mr.  Dodge   made  an  address  creditable  alike   to  his 
head  and  heart,  saying,  among  other  things  : 

"  The  North  has  been  blessed  with  a  bountiful  harvest.  It 
has  been  saved  from  the  desolation  which  has  swept  over  the 
South.  We  must  no  longer  regard  the  people  of  that  section 
as  enemies.  God  has  given  the  North  power  to  make  them 
friends.  We  rejoice  in  the  recent  triumph  of  our  arms  because 
it  has  given  us  a  Union.  But  what  is  Union  without  friend 
ship  ?  Whether  friends  or  enemies,  when  we  see  the  people  of 
the  South  starving,  we  must  send  them  help  from  our  overflow 
ing  granaries.  Thousands  of  intelligent  men  there  were,  in 
heart,  true  to  the  Union,  yet  all  now  share  the  common  need. 
In  one  day  a  single  blast  obliterated  the  entire  Confederate 
currency,  and  with  what  else  could  they  purchase  bread  ?  The 
object  of  this  commission  is  not  to  pauperize  the  South,  but  to 
render  judicious  aid.  We  want  to  see  them  independent  and 
self-sustaining,  mingling  with  the  North  as  they  have  never  yet 
done.  Accept  the  South  as  it  is.  Take  their  repentance  as  it 
is  presented.  State  after  State  has  formally  acknowledged  that 
slavery  is  dead,  and  they  want  no  more  of  it.  Let  us  help  also 
to  alleviate  their  intellectual  destitution.  The  press  and  the 
school-teacher  must  go  there.  Intelligence  must  increase,  and 
the  whole  people  be  made  one  with  the  North.  Let  us  deal 
with  them  in  a  Christian  spirit,  and  God's  blessing  will  crown 
the  effort." 

A  month  later  he  was  back  in  New  York,  partici 
pating  in  a  public  reception  to  General  Grant,  the 
modest  hero  of  Richmond — the  conquering  sword, 
as  Lincoln  was  the  dominating  brain,  of  the  Union 
cause.  Mr.  Dodge  had  always  been  specially  attracted 
towards  and  friendly  to  the  Union  men  in  the  South, 
who  had  faced  death  for  their  principles  ;  and  when 
escaping  that,  had  been  meted  and  peeled  by  their 
secession  neighbors.  In  1866  a  number  of  these  loyal 


AFTER-MATH.  225 

Southerners  were  welcomed  to  New  York,  at  a  great 
meeting  held  in  Cooper  Union  Hall,  and  he  addressed 
them  : 

"  You  may  have  felt  at  times  that  we  of  the  North  were  not 
sympathizing"  with  you  in  the  terrible  struggles  through  wrhich 
you  have  passed,  not  only  during  the  war,  but  worse,  perhaps, 
since  it  ended.  But  we  have  not  forgotten  you.  Nor  have  we 
lost  our  love  for  our  common  country.  We  want  a  Union  that 
shall  be  permanent ;  no  hasty  Union  without  conditions  from 
those  who  have  striven  to  destroy  our  liberties.  Four  millions 
of  lately  enslaved  men  stand  in  new  relations.  The  war,  the 
act  of  emancipation,  the  amendments  to  the  Constitution,  have 
elevated  them  to  be  citizens.  We  insist  that  they  shall  have  an 
opportunity  to  rise  to  the  full  privileges  of  citizenship.  We  are 
glad  to  have  you  who  come  from  the  South,  pass  through  the 
land  and  see  for  yourselves  that  the  Republican  party  is  still 
alive,  that  it  is  undiminished  in  numbers,  honor  and  influence." 

There  are  few  things  more  remarkable  about  Mr. 
Dodge  than  the  number,  variety,  and  even  excellence 
of  his  occasional  addresses.  When  we  consider  that 
he  was  a  busy  merchant,  speaking  often  without 
preparation,  always  clearly  and  to  the  point,  and  that 
he  had  never  specially  trained  himself  for  the  plat 
form,  his  success  in  this  difficult  and  delicate  sphere 
is  the  more  noteworthy. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    CONTEST     FOR     A     SEAT. 

MR.  DODGE  had  no  political  ambition.  He  had 
accepted  the  nomination  to  Congress  as  a  patriotic 
duty.1  Having  been  elected  he  determined  to  serve. 
The  incumbent  announced  his  intention  to  retain  the 
seat.  He  was  one  of  those  leech-politicians  who  hang 
on -to  office  until  they  drop  off  from  gorged  exhaus 
tion.  This  threw  upon  Mr.  Dodge  the  duty  of  contest- 
ingit.  Upon  announcing  his  purpose,  lo,  the  political 
slander-mill  was  started  up.  The  outrageous  -lies  of 
the  canvass  were  ground  out  in  a  new  grist.  When 
the  New  Yorker  reached  Washington,  at  the  opening 
of  Congress,  in  the  fall  of  1865,  he  found  Mr.  Brooks 
in  possession  of  the  seat,  entrenched  behind  a  rampart 
of  fraudulent  pretension,  supported  by  the  full  strength 
of  his  party,  whose  candidate  for  speaker  he  was  at 
the  organization  of  the  House,  and  ready  to  defend 
his  position  by  all  the  arts  and  wiles  of  parliamentary 
obstruction — a  game  wherein  he  had  acquired  mar 
vellous  skill  by  playing  it  against  the  administration 
during  the  whole  course  of  the  war. 

Then  Mr.  Dodge  learned,  if  he  had  need  to  learn, 
that  possession  is  nine  points  of  the  law.  He  found 
how  hard  it  is  to  get  a  man  out  when  he  is  in. 


1  See  p.  169  sq. 


THE    CONTEST    FOR    A    SEAT.  227 

His  evidence,  accompanied  by  the  memorial  claim 
ing  the  seat,  went  in  regular  order  before  the  House 
Committe  on  Elections.  He  charged  a  conspiracy  to 
secure  the  return  of  Mr.  Brooks.  This  charge  was 
sustained  by  a  bill  of  particulars  five  hundred  pages 
long,  showing  that  the  district  had  been  colonized  by 
thousands  of  non-residents  whose  votes  were  sworn 
in  and  counted  ;  that  the  votes  of  soldiers  were  forged 
and  accepted  ;  that  the  ballots  of  legal  voters,  favor 
able  to  the  Union  nominee,  were  rejected  ;  that  books 
of  registry  were  made  defective  with  fraudulent 
intent  ;  that  canvassers  sent  in  false  returns  ;  and 
that  bribes  and  threats  were  the  right  and  left  hands 
of  the  sitting  member.  Mr.  William  Walter  Phelps, 
the  able  and  brilliant  Jerseyman,  who  was  afterwards 
himself  a  Congressman  and  the  American  Minister  to 
Austria,  acted  as  Mr.  Dodge's  attorney. 

Mr.  Brooks,  realizing  that  the  current  Congres 
sional  term  wras  but  two  years  long,  fought  for 
delay,  so  that  by  holding  the  questions  at  issue  in 
abeyance,  he  might  continue  to  occupy  the  seat  until 
the  end  of  the  session.  Weeks,  months  elapsed  before 
he  could  be  brought  to  file  his  answer.  When  he  did, 
he  produced  a  volume  of  perjury  as  long  as  Mr. 
Dodge's  book  of  evidence,  and  thus  consumed  more 
time  in  the  investigation  of  his  counter-charges. 

His  chief  assertion,  the  one  on  which  the  changes 
were  wearisomely  rung,  was  that  Mr.  Dodge  had 
used  his  immense  wealth  to  buy  up  the  Eighth  Con 
gressional  District — that  he  proposed  to  make  it  a 
pocket  borough  and  carry  it  around  as  a  personal 
annex.  Mr.  Dodge,  as  claimant,  was  given  the  privi 
lege  of  the  floor  to  state  his  case,  which  he  did  in  a 


228  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

dignified  and  unimpassioned  speech,  defending  his 
character  especially  against  the  assassins  who  had 
broken  into  the  house  of  his  reputation.  Mr.  Brooks, 
exercising  the  rights  of  a  regular  member,  pranced 
about  constantly,  was  heard  at  every  point,  and  was 
finally  (all  earthly  things  must  come  to  an  end)  beaten 
at  every  point. 

Chairman  Henry  L.  Dawes  (since  Senator),  of 
Massachusetts,  brought  in  the  report  of  the  Com 
mittee,  awarding  the  seat  to  Mr.  Dodge.  Here  is  an 
extract  : 

"  The  charge  of  bribery  is  not  sustained  by  one  scintilla  of 
evidence  ;  the  most  diligent  search  of  nine  hundred  pages  of 
printed  matter  fails  to  reveal  a  single  particle  of  testimony  that 
any  money  whatever  had  been  used  for  any  corrupt  or  unlaw 
ful  purpose." 

Mr.  Henry  J.  Raymond,  also  a  fellow-member  of 
the  House,  and  the  founder  and  editor  of  The  New 
York  Times,  the  third  of  the  illustrious  newspaper 
triumvirate  of  that  generation  (Horace  Greeley  and 
James  Gordon  Bennett  being  the  other  two),  in  a  let 
ter  written  at  the  time,  indignantly  scouts  the  charge 
of  bribery  brought  against  the  Christian  merchant  by 
Mr.  Brooks — the  cry  of  "  Stop  thief  "  uttered  by  the 
real  offender  to  throw  pursuit  off  the  scent  : 

"  I  venture  to  say  that  there  is  not  a  man  in  New  York,  or  in 
the  United  States,  who  knows  the  contestant,  that  will  for  one 
moment  pretend  or  suspect  his  possession  of  large  wealth  is  to  be 
weighed  against  him  in  this  or  any  other  scale.  It  has  all  been 
acquired  honorably,  justly,  fairly,  without  wronging  any  man. 
After  acquiring  wealth  in  this  manner  it  is  to  his  honor,  and 
something  to  be  said  rather  in  his  praise  than  against  him,  that 
he  has  it,  and  something  still  more  to  his  praise  and  honor  that 


THE    CONTEST    FO.R    A    SEAT.  229 

he  has  expended  it  as  liberally  and  nobly  and  honorably  as  he 
has  acquired  it.  There  is  not  a  man  familiar  with  the  charities 
of  New  York,  or  the  charities  outside  of  New  York,  which  seek 
that  city  as  the  field  of  operations  for  the  recruital  of  their 
resources,  who  does  not  know  that  the  contestant  in  this  case 
is  the  first  man  to  whom  they  all  go,  and  the  man  from  whom 
they  come  with  the  largest  contributions." 

Acting  like  himself,  Mr.  Dodge  had  kept  his  wife 
informed  of  the  progress  of  the  contest  from  day  to 
day.  Lying  unsealed  on  his  desk,  at  the  moment 
when  he  went  in  and  Mr.  Brooks  went  out,  was  a  let 
ter,  in  which  he  described  to  her  the  closing  hours  of 
the  tedious  experience,  and  which  he  now  opened  to 
add  this  postscript  : 

"  Five  o'clock.  I  have  just  been  sworn  in — 72  to  52.  All 
right." 

This  was  on  the  6th  of  April,  1866 — one  year  and 
five  months  after  his  election.  The  members  of  his 
family  were  naturally  outraged  by  the  length  and 
nature  of  the  contest,  but  felt  glad  enough  to  have  it 
end  so  triumphantly.  The  Union  people  of  the  dis 
trict,  and  of  the  country,  hurrahed  themselves  hoarse 
over  the  result.  As  for  the  new  Congressman,  he 
probably  felt  that  Charles  Dickens  had  an  eye  on 
America  when  he  described  the  English  "  Circumlo 
cution  Office,"  and  told  "how  not  to  do  it." 


CHAPTER   III. 

CONGRESSMAN    DODGE. 

FINDING  that  he  must  now  pass  some  time  at  the 
Capital,  our  home-loving  citizen  made  haste  to  get  a 
roof-tree  over  his  head.  Then  he  called  to  his  side 
his  dearer  self,  and  such  of  his  children  as  still  sat  at 
the  family  fireside.  The  Washington  house  was 
situated  on  E  Street — a  large,  comfortable  mansion. 
Here  he  dispensed  a  wide  and  generous  hospitality  ; 
but  banished  from  his  table  all  intoxicants.  In  that 
convivial  town  the  absent  decanter  stirred  comment. 
He  was  glad  of  it.  This  made  his  home  a  standing 
advertisement  for  temperance.  It  was  peculiar. 
Well,  a  Christian  ought  to  be  peculiar. 

Next,  he  found  a  church  home,  selecting  the  Pres 
byterian  Church  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Gurley.  Thence  he  circled  out  into  the 
Sunday-Schools  and  religious  assemblies  of  the  city, 
and  found  or  made  a  congenial  environment. 

Upon  taking  the  seat  which  had  cost  him  such  a  dis 
proportionate  outlay  of  time,  patience  and  anxiety,  Mr. 
Dodge  discovered  that  he  was  in  excellent  company. 
Men  already  famous,  and  destined  to  become  more 
so,  veritable  makers  of  history,  sat  before,  behind, 
on  either  side.  Here  were  Dawes  and  Boutwell,  of 
Massachusetts,  royal  men  ;  Elaine,  of  Maine,  magnetic 
then  as  since  ;  Conkling,  of  New  York,  the  Prince 


CONGRESSMAN    DODGE.  231 

Rupert  of  debate  ;  Thaddeus  Stephens,  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  the  "  great  commoner  ;  "  Allison,  of  Iowa,  a 
statesman  already  ;  and  Windom,  of  Minnesota, 
learned  in  finance  ;  all  of  whom,  a  few  years  after 
wards,  stepped  across  the  Capitol  into  the  Senate. 
Here,  too,  were  Washburne  and  Kasson  and  Bingham 
and  Schenck,  who  became  eminent  in  the  diplomatic 
service  of  the  United  States.  Yonder  sat  Randall,  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  Kerr,  of  Indiana,  who  later  held 
the  speaker's  gavel.  Three  others  of  his  colleagues, 
Banks  and  Rice,  of  Massachusetts,  and  Perham,  of 
Maine,  were  soon  to  be  Governors.  While  two  more, 
Hayes  and  Garfield,  of  Ohio,  were  in  training  for  the 
White  House.  These  were  the  most  conspicuous. 
Others  were  equally  able  and  worthy,  though  they 
did  not  so  fill  the  public  eye.  It  may  be  doubted 
whether  that  Thirty-ninth  Congress  has  eVer  been 
excelled  in  point  of  general  intelligence  and  capacity. 
How  evanescent  is  fame  !  Many  of  these  shining 
names  have  already  dropped  into  oblivion.  One 
recalls  Byron's  bitter  epigram  :  "  Fame  consists  in 
the  having  your  name  misspelled  in  the  Gazette."  In 
these  fast  times  the  evening  journals  of  to-day  render 
the  news  of  the  morning  stale,  push  yesterday  into 
the  middle  ages,  and  make  the  doings  of  the  day 
before  yesterday  read  like  ancient  history.  It  has 
been  truly  said  that  Americans  are  born  in  a  hurry, 
live  in  a  hurry,  die  in  a  hurry,  and  are  carried  to  the 
cemetery  on  a  trot.  We  have  one  consolation,  how 
ever.  In  so  far  as  accomplishment  is  concerned,  we 
live  longer  in  twenty-four  hours  than  our  forefathers 
did  in  twenty-four  years.  And  the  lesson  of  it  all  ? 
It  is  summed  up  in  the  admonition  of  the  Wise  Man  : 


232  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

"  Whatsoever  thy  hand  fmdeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy 
might  ;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowl 
edge,  nor  wisdom  in  the  grave,  whither  thou  goest." 

If  the  men  around  him  were  noteworthy,  the  ques 
tions  they  were  discussing  and  settling  were  yet  more 
so.  These  related  to  the  restoration  of  civil  govern 
ment  in  the  Southern  States,  their  representation  in 
Congress,  the  condition  and  rights  of  the  freedmen, 
the  relative  power  of  the  three  coordinate  departments 
of  State — the  legislative,  executive  and  judicial. 
Other  issues  there  were  which  had  financial,  com 
mercial,  international  bearings.  And  all  were 
clamorous,  angry— a  vast  and  conglomerate  problem. 
Often  those  mariners  of  legislation  found  themselves 
on  a  wide  sea  of  speculation,  without  chart  or  com 
pass  of  precedent. 

It  speaks  well  for  Mr.  Dodge  that,  with  no  practical 
political  experience,  new  to  the  rules  and  methods  of 
the  House  (a  technical  body,  impatient  with  new 
comers),  surrounded  by  celebrities,  and  face  to  face 
with  vexatious  questions,  he  took  rank  at  once  among 
the  foremost — the  peer  of  his  peers.  At  a  period  of 
excitement,  he  was  not  excited.  In  the  midst  of  self- 
seeking,  he  was  not  a  self-seeker.  Representing  a 
party,  he  was  not  a  partizan.  He  carried  a  serene 
common  sense  into  the  discussions  of  the  House. 
Speaking  often,  he  always  spoke  well  ;  not  always 
agreeably  to  his  colleagues,  nor,  indeed,  to  his 
constituents.  He  loved  to  look  at  the  issues  which 
came  up  from  the  mercantile  standpoint,  as  was 
natural  in  a  merchant  ;  but,  above  all,  from  the 
vantage-ground  of  broad  patriotism  and  unaffected 
piety.  When  the  House  divided,  he  asked  not,  "  Will 


CONGRESSMAN    DODGE.  233 

my  vote  this  way  or  that  way  aid  my  party  ? "  but, 
"  Will  it  help  the  country  and  please  God  ? "  A 
believer  in  parties,  without  which  he  understood  that 
Republican  government  would  be  impossible,  he 
nevertheless  believed  more  in  rruth  and  righteous 
ness.  He  knew  that  parties  are  not  infallible.  Hence, 
on  one  or  two  important  occasions,  he  did  not  hesitate 
to  oppose  his  party  at  the  dictate  of  his  conscience. 
Such  a  man  was  invaluable  in  such  a  place  at  such  a 
time.  He  contributed  just  that  practical  element 
which  was  needed  in  speculative  debate.  And  his 
conscientiousness  acted  as  a  moral  tonic. 

Scrupulous  in  his  attendance  at  the  Capitol,  he  was 
equally  scrupulous  in  the  attention  he  paid  to  those 
who  had  any  claim  upon  his  outside  time  or  efforts. 
Any  Negro  wishing  to  interest  him  in  the  welfare  of 
the  blacks  on  the  plantation,  a  territorial  delegate 
craving  his  aid  in  the  establishment  of  schools  on  the 
frontier,  this  Indian  chief  visiting  Washington  to 
secure  the  payment  of  bounties  tangled  up  in  the 
Interior  Department,  that  messenger  sent  on  to  get  a 
subsidy  for  some  benevolent  work — got  his  ear  with 
out  danger  of  rebuff. 

Other  appeals  to  him  there  were,  less  exigent,  but 
none  the  less  demanding  and  receiving  attention.  One 
of  his  sons,  writing  from  the  inside,  sketches  a  few  of 
these  with  nervous  pen  : 

"  Inquiries,  suggestions,  remonstrances,  applications  for  ad 
vice,  introductions,  or  '  influence,'  confronted  him  at  every  hour, 
in  all  places,  under  the  most  engaging  or  exasperating  forms ; 
some  legitimate,  some  with  the  odor  of '  jobbery,'  all  marked 
'  immediate,'  and  each  expecting  attention.  Such  requests  as 
the  following  constantly  found  their  way  to  his  desk :  '  Please 


234  WILLIAM    E.     DODGE. 

push  our  railroad  bill  ;  we  believe  it  to  be  a  most  righteous 
measure.'  '  Shall  I  take  my  goods  out  of  bond  or  leave  them 
there  ?  Answer  by  wire.'  '  Should  be  obliged  by  a  copy  of  the 
Medical  and  Surgical  History  of  the  War.  I  voted  for  you.' 
'  Thanks  for  your  help  in  obtaining  second  lieutenancy ;  only 
needs  active  pressure  to  secure  the  further  promotion  to  which 
I  feel  my  services  are  entitled.'  '  Am  anxious  to  be  appointed 
weigher  in  the  New  York  Custom  House.'  '  Find  myself  in 
need  of  seeds  from  the  Agricultural  Department.'  '  I  have 
some  claims  for  horses  killed  in  the  war.'  '  I  have  a  niece  who 
is  seeking  a  clerkship  in  the  Treasury  ;  her  father  was  a  soldier.' 
'  We  sent  an  ingenious  and  useful  invention  to  the  Patent  Office ; 
cannot  understand  why  it  is  refused.'  '  I  beg  you  to  use  your 
influence  in  obtaining  my  pension.'  '  Please  send  all  public 
documents  ;  we  are  filling  up  our  library.'  '  Wish  you  would 
favor  the  bill  to  equalize  bounties ;  also  as  to  disposition  of 
Government  lands.-'  '  My  son  is  a  candidate  for  a  cadetship  at 
the  Naval  Academy  ;  a  line  from  you  would  be  of  great  service.' 
'  I  am  a  volunteer  officer,  seeking  an  appointment  in  the  regular 
army.  There  is  danger  of  my  application  being  pigeon-holed.' 
'  I  venture  to  request  a  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Secretary  of 
State  ;  the  Consulship  at  Trieste  may  soon  be  vacant.'  '  I  should 
be  so  gratified  to  have  your  photograph,  with  your  own  signa 
ture.'  Appeals  to  his  '  well-known  benevolence  '  were  based 
on  political  considerations,  or  urged  from  the  benefit  to  the 
cause  of  a  contribution  from  one  in  his  public  position."  ] 

Obviously,  a  conscientious  Congressman  holds  no 
sinecure. 

There  were  two  objects  in  Washington  in  which  Mr. 
Dodge  was  particularly  interested.  These  were  the 
"  Congressional  Temperance  Society,"  and  the  "  Con 
gressional  Prayer  Meeting."  One  of  his  colleagues3 


1  Memorials  of  William  E.  Dodge,  p.  115,  sq, 

2  The  Hon.  J.  B.  Grinnell,  of  Iowa. 


CONGRESSMAN    DODGE.  235 

gives  a  chatty  account  of  these  and   some   other  mat 
ters,  which  we  transcribe  : 

"  A  historical  gathering  was  held  in  the  Capitol,  in  1866, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Congressional  Temperance  Society. 
Mr.  Dodge  read  the  names  of  forty-seven  Senators  and  Repre 
sentatives  who  were  pledged  to  total  abstinence.  To  perpetu 
ate  the  influence  of  this  great  occasion,  Mr.  Dodge  himself  sent 
pamphlets  of  the  proceedings  and  speeches  all  over  the  country. 
In  the  Congressional  Prayer  Meeting,  where  Senators  and 
members  of  all  sections  and  of  every  shade  of  religious  belief 
met  to  supplicate  the  favor  of  the  God  of  nations,  Mr.  Dodge 
was  a  prompt  attendant  and  the  animating  soul.  As  a  Chris 
tian  gentleman  his  cheerfulness  and  uniform  courtesy  left  an 
indelible  impression  upon  his  associates.  The  announcement 
of  his  name  as  a  speaker  or  presiding  officer  would  attract  a 
crowded  assembly.  With  the  colored  congregations  of  the  city 
he  was  a  special  favorite  as  a  speaker;  and -he  himself  found 
inspiration  in  their  hearty  '  amens  '  and  stirring  songs,  which, 
in  his  mind,  were  more  in  accord  with  primitive  worship  than 
operatic  airs  given  by  a  professional  quartette. 

"  In  the  Standing  Committees  of  Congress,  as  Mr.  Dodge 
was  not  a  member  at  the  opening  of  the  first  session,  he  was 
not  assigned  to  some  positions  for  which  he  was  eminently 
qualified.  He  served,  however,  upon  the  important  Committees 
of  Commerce  and  of  Foreign  Affairs,  besides  others,  special 
and  select," 


CHAPTER    IV. 

WHAT    HE    SAID    IN    WASHINGTON. 

MR.  DODGE  made  no  claim  to  oratory.  Yet  he  had 
several  of  the  prerequisites.  For  one  thing,  he  pos 
sessed  a  clear,  ringing  voice.  All  the  great  speakers 
have  excelled  here.  Webster's  voice  was  like  a  trum 
pet.  Clay's  resembled  a  band  of  music.  Mirabeau 
carried  a  thunder-storm  in  his  throat,  rather  than 
lightning  in  his  thought.  Wendell  Phillips  was  nick 
named  the  "silver  tongue;"  and  the  Richmond 
Inquirer  once  called  him  "  an  infernal  machine  set  to 
music." 

Each  of  these  orators  carried  his  audience  by  storm 
more  than  once  by  the  power  of  his  voice.  A  friend  of 
Mirabeau  complained  that  the  French  Chamber  of 
Deputies  would  not  listen  to  him.  The  fiery  orator 
borrowed  his  speech  and  electrified  the  members  with 
the  very  words  which  they  refused  to  hear  from  the 
other's  lips.  So  Lord  Chesterfield  captivated  the 
House  of  Lords  by  his  argument  for  the  Gregorian 
Calendar,  though  he  was  confessedly  ignorant  of 
astronomy,  while  a  consummate  scholar  in  the  science, 
Lord  Macclesfield,  was  heard  with  yawns. 

For  another  thing,  Mr.  Dodge  was  a  singularly  per 
suasive  speaker.  This  came  from  the  directness  of 
his  nature  and  the  intensity  of  his  convictions.  Here 


WHAT    HE    SAID    IN    WASHINGTON.  237 

again  he  approached  oratory.  For  what  is  the  aim  of 
the  orator  ?  Is  it  not  persuasion  ?  "  Carry  the  jury 
at  all  hazzards,"  Rufus  Choate  used  to  say,  "  then 
fight  out  law  questions  with  the  judges  afterwards." 

The  Merchant-Congressman  had  none  of  the  arts 
of  the  advocate — would  not  have  used  them  if  he  had. 
He  was  content  to  utter  his  thoughts  in  a  simple, 
colloquial  way  ;  but  he  always  got  a  hearing.  Let  us 
look  over  some  of  the  topics  he  debated. 

When  he  entered  the  House  the  "  Civil  Rights 
Bill  "  was  under  consideration.  This  was  intended  to 
secure  for  the  freedmen  the  privileges  enjoyed  by 
other  citizens,  and  to  protect  them  against  unjust  dis 
criminations.  The  measure  was  fiercely  opposed 
within  and  without  the  two  Chambers  of  Congress  by 
those  who  inherited  and  retained  the  race  prejudices 
begotten  in  slavery.  It  was  as  vehemently  insisted 
upon  by  the  blacks  in  the  South  and  the  Union  senti 
ment  at  the  North  ;  and  was  carried  by  more  than  the 
requisite  constitutional  majority  of  two-thirds.  Mr. 
Dodge  cast  his  maiden  vote  for  this  law — a  vote 
which  gave  him  profound  satisfaction,  both  as  a 
Christian  acting  under  the  golden  rule  and  as  a  lover 
of  fair  play. 

National  legislation  was  required  in  order  to  secure 
the  scooping  of  a  ship  canal  around  Niagara  Falls, 
which  would  expedite  traffic.  Certain  metropolitan 
interests  opposed  this  on  the  ground  that  it  would 
benefit  the  West  at  the  expense  of  New  York.  The 
clear-headed  Congressman  from  the  Eighth  District 
favored  it  : 

"  Notwithstanding  the  fears  of  the  Canal  Commissioners  of 
my  own  State,  I  shall  cheerfully  vote  for  this  bill,  because  I 


238  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

believe  the  prosperity  of  the  State  and  the  city  of  New  York  is 
identified  with  that  of  the  West.  Just  in  proportion  as  Illinois 
and  other  Western  States  are  able  to  produce,  and  then  dis 
pense  of  their  products  at  a  profit,  will  they  traffic  with  the 
city  of  New  York  and  use  our  canals  and  railroads.  I  shall 
vote  with  the  firm  conviction  that  the  prosperity  of  the  country 
is  the  prosperity  of  New  York." 

The  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  begun  by  permis 
sion  and  under  the  patronage  of  Congress,  had  fallen 
into  financial  distress,  the  expenses  having  exceeded 
the  estimates,  and  now  asked  for  additional  aid.  Mr. 
Dodge  supported  this  request  : 

"I  presume,  sir,  when  the  Congress  of  1864  granted  the 
charter  for  the  construction  of  this  road,  it  was  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  its  completion  was  calculated  to  advance  the  interests 
of  the  country.  The  Government  not  only  had  unproductive 
lands  to  improve,  but  it  looked  to  the  vast  population  settling 
on  the  Pacific  coasts.  It  looked  to  Oregon,  nearly  a  thousand 
miles  north  of  San  Francisco.  It  looked  to  the  mineral  re 
sources  which  this  road  would  open  for  development.  Both 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  and  the  Northern  Pacific  should  be 
completed.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  aid  granted 
by  Congress  to  the  Central  Pacific  has  done  as  much  as  any 
other  thing  to  give  substantial  credit  to  our  Government,  both 
in  this  country  and  in  Europe.  People  know  there  is  in  the 
center  of  this  continent  an  immense  deposit  of  the  precious 
metals,  and  they  know,  if  this  road  is  built,  that  instead  of  pro 
ducing,  as  we  have  in  the  last,  ten  years  $1,000,000,000,  we  shall 
get  out  for  ten  years  to  come,  $2,000,000,000;  and  we  shall 
have  this  gold  and  silver  as  the  basis  not  only  for  circulation  in 
our  own  country,  but  to  pay  our  bonds  here  and  in  foreign 
countries." 

The  superb  Post  Office  Building  in  New  York  was 
secured  measurably  through  his  efforts.  As  a  metro- 


WHAT    HE    SAID    IN    WASHINGTON.  239 

politan  merchant  and  citizen  it  was  a  matter  of  pride 
and  of  interest  to  him  that  the  stupendous  mail  ser 
vice  should  secure  proper  accommodations  on  Man 
hattan  Island.  Touching  a  bill  for  this  purpose,  he 
said  : 

"  Mr.  Speaker,  this  matter  of  a  post  office  in  the  city  of  New 
York  is  one  of  national  interest.  It  is  not  merely  a  post  office 
for  the  accommodation  of  citizens  of  New  York,  but  for  the 
benefit  of  the  entire  country.  The  building  now  occupied  is 
the  old  Dutch  Church,  transformed  into  a  post  office,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  inconvenient  places  for  such  a  purpose  that 
can  possibly  be  conceived  for  a  city  of  the  magnitude  of  New 
York.  The  vast  increase  of  business  in  that  city  demands  a 
post  office  large  enough  to  do  the  business  rapidly,  conveni 
ently,  and  economically. 

"  Only  a  few  years  ago  we  had  our  mails  from  Europe  once 
a  month  by  steamers.  When  they  came  tri-monthly  we  felt 
that  it  was  a  great  increase.  We  now  have  our  steamers 
almost  daily  from  various  parts  of  Europe ;  and  I  noticed  that 
oru  Saturday  last  there  were  twelve  large  steamships  cleared 
from  the  city  of  New  York,  each  of  them  carrying  a  mail. 
Within  the  last  ten  years,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  the  daily 
mail  has  increased  from  thirty  to  a  hundred  tons. 

"  The  property  now  offered  by  the  Corporation  of  New  York 
to  the  United  States  Government  for  a  post  office,  and  for  the 
United  States  Courts,  at  the  nominal  sum  of  $500,000,  would 
sell  at  public  auction  to-morrow  for  from  three  to  five  million 
dollars.  It  is  an  opportunity  such  as  the  Government  can  sel 
dom  obtain.  It  is  the  most  feasible,  the  most  eligible  spot  in 
the  city  for  the  purpose  ;  and  although  there  is  great  objection 
to  using  a  portion  of  our  public  park^for  a  post-office,  yet  such 
is  the  necessity,  and  such  the  desire  to  accommodate  the  United 
States  Government,  that  the  Corporation  has  yielded  a  plot  of 
ground  at  the  lower  end  of  the  public  park  equal  to  twenty-six 
lots.  It  is  such  a  favorable  opportunity  that  I  trust  the  House 
will  see  the  importance  of  embracing  it  without  delay." 


240  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Singularly  enough,  this  Importer  of  Metals  was  a 
tariff  man.  His  personal  and  business  interests  all 
lay  in  the  direction  of  free  trade.  As  a  matter  of 
patriotic  conviction  he  insisted  upon  maintaining  the 
tariff.  While  he  sat  in  the  House,  the  debates  on  this 
subject  were  frequent  and  prolonged,  and  he  spoke 
several  times  on  one  and  another  phase  of  it.  His 
position  is  stated  by  himself  in  the  following  remarks, 
made  at  the  close  of  the  entire  discussion  ;  an  oppor 
tunity  secured  by  the  courtesy  of  the  future  president 
and  martyr,  Garfield,  in  yielding  a  portion  of  his  time  : 

"  Brought  up  in  my  youth  in  a  village  which  was  the  seat  of 
a  cotton-manufacturing  industry,  I  early  learned  to  sympathize 
with  what  was  known  as  '  the  American  system  ;  '  and  from 
that  day  to  this  I  have  witnessed  great  excitements  and  pre 
dictions  of  ruin  to  commerce  whenever  a  new  tariff  has  been 
produced.  And  yet  we  have  continued  to  prosper  under  each 
successive  change  ;  for  whenever  any  one  article  manufactured 
here  gained  such  a  position  as  to  supplant  the  foreign  com 
petitor,  some  other  article  was  found  to  supply  its  place  in  the 
list  of  imports  ;  and  thus  the  total  amount  of  importations  from 
abroad  has  gone  on  increasing,  until  now,  under  the  present 
tariff,  which  was  denounced  as  prohibitory,  we  have  imported 
a  larger  amount  the  last  year  than  in  any  previous  year.  I  am 
impressed  with  the  conviction  that  the  commercial  interests  of 
the  city  I  in  part  represent  will  be  promoted  by  the  prosperity 
of  the  agricultural  and  manufacturing  interests,  and  by  the 
ability  of  the  people,  on  account  of  this  prosperity,  to  buy  and 
pay  for  the  vast  amount  of  imports  which,  I  am  confident,  not 
withstanding  this  tariff,  will  continue  to  flow  to  this  country. 

"  The  increased  duties  on  wool  and  woolen  goods  will  un 
doubtedly  stimulate  the  growth  of  wool  here  to  the  general 
advantage.  If  in  time  a  portion  of  the  coarser  fabrics  are  shut 
out,  there  will  be  increased  ability  in  the  South  and  West  to 
purchase  the  finer  foreign  goods. 


WHAT    HE    SAID    IN    WASHINGTON.  241 

"  The  duty  on  flax  will  not  only  encourage  the  manufacture 
of  the  cheaper  grades  of  linen,  but  furnish  means  to  pay  for  the 
better  article  made  abroad. 

"  The  duty  on  iron  will  stimulate  the  making  of  rails  in  the 
West  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  and  thus  save  the 
cost  of  transporting  wheat  twelve  hundred  miles  by  railroad, 
and  then  three  thousand  miles  across  the  Atlantic,  to  purchase 
rails  to  build  roads  in  the  very  vicinity  of  immense  beds  of  coal 
and  iron,  the  manufacture  of  which  will  create  a  home  market 
for  the  wheat. 

"  There  are  many  things  in  the  bill  which  I  think  should  have 
been  amended.  The  duties  on  many  articles  are  unnecessarily 
large,  and  could  have  been  reduced  without  any  detriment  to 
the  country.  I  trust  they  will  yet  be  adjusted  ;  but  in  view  of 
the  state  of  our  finances,  and  under  the  conviction  that  the 
increased  tariff  will,  notwithstanding  the  predictions  to  the  con 
trary,  secure  us  an  amount  of  revenue  equal  to  the  estimates 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  I  shall  vote  for  the  bill, 
although  I  had  hoped  it  would  be  recommitted,  with  instruc 
tions  to  report  at  the  next  session  of  Congress." 

Two  questions  lifted  themselves  at  that  time  into 
exceptional  prominence,  and  provoked  acrimonious 
debate  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  from  the 
Lakes  to  the  Gulf — a  continental  controversy  that 
voiced  itself  hotly  in  the  wings  of  the  Capitol.  One 
of  these  was  the  impeachment  of  President  Johnson. 
The  whilom  tailor  of  Tennessee  had  not  turned  out 
well  as  the  successor  of  Lincoln.  He  proved  to  be 
self-willed,  ignorant,  despotic.  Upon  pretense  of 
defending  Southern  rights  and  executive  dignity,  he 
antagonized  his  party,  vetoed  the  most  important 
bills  passed  by  the  Republican  majority  in  Congress, 
and  usurped  the  functions  of  the  legislative  and 
judicial  branches  of  the  Government.  A  wit  of  the 
period  put  it  thus  :  "  He  does  not  believe  in  the  con- 


242  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

centration  of  power  in  the  House  of  Representatives, 
but  holds  that  it  should  be  safely  diffused  throughout 
the  hands  of  one  man,  viz.  A.  Johnson!"  Party 
passion  flamed  like  the  seven-fold  heated  furnace  of 
Nebuchadnezzar.  The  would-be  tyrant  of  the  White 
House  was  solemnly  impeached.  The  impeachment 
was  seconded  and  urged  by  the  Republican  majority 
in  Congress,  and  by  an  exasperated,  cooperating  public 
opinion. 

Mr.  Dodge  shared  in  the  contempt  for  Andrew 
Johnson — he  respected  the  President.  The  executive 
was  wrong  ;  but  his  powers  were  defined  by  the  Con 
stitution,  and  might  not  be  invaded  or  curtailed.  The 
little  knot  of  Republicans  who  coincided  with  these 
views  defeated  the  impeachment  ;  but  they  brought 
upon  themselves  a  storm  of  adverse  criticism,  and 
were  for  a  time  regarded  as  the  political  friends  and 
defenders  of  the  weakest  and  most  despicable  of 
American  Presidents — always  excepting  the  "  public 
functionary  "  who  sat  still  and  saw  the  secessionists 
plunder  the  national  house  without  attempting  to 
resist,  or  even  shouting  "  Stop  thief  !  "  In  the  lapse 
of  years,  however,  public  opinion  has  changed.  It  is 
now  quite  generally  conceded  that  the  Senators  and 
Representatives  then  so  reviled  were  wiser  than  their 
critics,  and  saved  the  Republic  from  an  impolitic  and 
dangerous  precedent. 

The  other  question  over  which  the  country  got  red 
in  the  face,  was  that  of  reconstruction.  It  concerned 
both  North  and  South.  Its  settlement  would  save  or 
lose  the  whole  harvest  of  the  war.  As  a  whole,  Mr. 
Dodge  supported  the  measures  of  his  party — measures 
which  time  and  experience  have  proved  wholesome. 


WHAT    HE    SAID    IN    WASHINGTON  243 

But  on  one  occasion  he  sided  again  with  the  opposi 
tion,  and  pleaded  against  the  passage  of  an  act  which 
proposed  the  perpetual  disfranchisement  of  all  who 
had  taken  the  oath  to  the  defunct  Confederacy. 
Said  he  : 

"  The  bill  proposed  here,  with  the  amendment,  provides  that 
every  man  who  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  in  1861,  and  who 
has  engaged  in  any  way  or  held  office  under  the  so-called  Con 
federate  Government,  or  who  has  taken  an  oath  to  support  that 
government — which,  if  I  understand  it,  includes  all  the  private 
soldiers  in  the  Confederate  army — shall  be  disfranchised.  They 
are  to  be  deprived  of  all  civil  rights,  and  to  be  placed  in  the 
position  of  aliens.  They  can  only  acquire  the  rights  of  citizen 
ship,  not  as  foreigners  acquire  them — by  giving  notice  of  their 
intention  to  become  citizens  in  five  years — but  by  taking  an 
oath,  under  the  most  fearful  penalties,  that  from  March,  1864, 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  they  would  have  been  ready,  if  oppor 
tunity  had  offered,  to  do  anything  to  bring  the  war  to  a  close  ; 
that  they  had  no  sympathy  with  the  war  after  that  time ;  and 
that  they  would,  if  opportunity  had  presented  itself,  have 
accepted  the  amnesty  offered  by  President  Lincoln,  and  left  the 
Confederate  Government.  How  large  a  proportion  of  the 
Southern  people  could  come  forward  and  honestly  take  that 
oath  ?  The  result  of  the  passage  of  this  bill,  if  it  shall  become 
operative,  will  be  to  disfranchise  nearly  the  entire  white  popu 
lation  of  the  Southern  States,  and,  at  the  same  time,  enfranchise 
the  colored  people,  and  give  them  the  virtual  control  in  the  pro 
posed  organization  of  the  new  State  governments. 

"  I  submit  as  a  dictate  of  common  sense,  taking  mankind  as 
we  find  them,  as  we  know  they  are,  is  it  natural  to  suppose  that 
the  passage  of  such  a  law  as  this  will  be  calculated  to  promote 
increased  friendly  relations  between  the  North  and  the  South, 
to  create  a  better  feeling  between  the  white  and  the  colored 
population  ?  I  assume  that  that  should  be  the  object  of  the 
laws  which  we  pass,  as  well  as  to  protect  in  all  their  civil  rights 


244  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

the  loyal  white  man  and  the  freedman.  I  can  see  nothing 
cither  in  the  original  bill,  or  in  the  proposed  substitute, 
which  is  calculated  to  increase  or  create  any  good  feeling 
between  the  North  and  South.  It  is  not  natural  that  they 
should  love  us  while  we  are  putting  them  under  such  a  ban." 

Once  more  the  strict  party  men  shouted  "  rene 
gade  !  "  and  tried  to  whip  their  independent  colleague 
back  into  the  traces.  But  he  resisted  coercion  ;  and 
now,  as  before,  appealing  from  the  present  to  the 
future,  he  lost  the  verdict  of  to-day,  but  gained  the 
judgment  of  to-morrow. 

As  a  temperance  man,  Mr.  Dodge  was  peculiarly 
careful  to  inspect  any  measures  which  related  to  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  liquors.  When  it  was 
proposed  to  diminish  the  taxation  of  the  distillers,  he 
promptly  checkmated  the  move  : 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  all  that  we  require  in  regard  to  this  question 
of  whiskey  is  a  law  sufficient  to  find  out  the  small  distilleries. 
I  fail  to  perceive  the  force  of  the  suggestion  made  by  the 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  that  a 
small  tax  of  twenty-five  dollars  will  induce  men  who  are  carry 
ing  on  an  illicit  traffic  in  cellars  and  garrets,  to  come  forward 
and  make  known  the  fact  that  they  are  engaged  in  this  busi 
ness.  I  hope,  sir,  that  we  shall  fix  a  tax  so  large  and  frame  a 
law  so  stringent  that  every  manufacturer  of  distilled  spirits, 
whether  he  makes  a  thousand  gallons  a  day  or  five  gallons  a 
day,  will  be  found  out,  so  that  the  Government  shall  receive 
from  him  the  entire  amount  of  revenue  contemplated  by  the  law. 

"  We  may  rest  assured,  sir,  that  a  tax  of  twenty-five  dollars 
will  never  bring  to  light  men  who  are  seeking  to  carry  on  an 
illicit  traffic.  If  the  tax  is  fixed  at  $i  ,000  or  $i  ,500,  there  would 
be  an  object  in  finding  them  out.  In  the  city  of  New  York  we 
have  now  a  lawr  fixing  the  license  at  $200  and  $150.  Last  year 
when  only  a  small  tax  of  ten  dollars  was  required  for  selling 


WHAT    HE    SAID    IN    WASHINGTON.  245 

liquor,  there  were  in  that  city  more  than  nine  thousand  places 
in  which  intoxicating  drinks  were  sold.  Under  our  present 
system,  where  it  is  an  object  to  detect  every  individual  selling 
liquor  without  a  license,  the  city  is  receiving  $1,000,000  of  reve 
nue  annually  from  this  source.  If  men  will  manufacture,  if  men 
will  sell,  if  men  will  drink  alcohol,  let  them  pay  the  tax  which 
the  Government  imposes." 

A  Congressman  is  an  animated  pipe-way  leading 
from  his  own  district  to  the  halls  of  legislation — the 
medium  of  inter-communication.  He  is  often  called 
upon  to  present  memorials,  appeals,  what  not,  with 
which  he  is  not  in  sympathy.  As  a  rule,  however,  the 
matters  to  which  Mr.  Dodge  called  attention  met  with 
his  personal  approbation.  Their  name  was  legion. 
Scrutinize  the  list  :  A  resolution  requesting  the 
President  to  communicate  information  respecting  the 
action  of  the  Papal  authorities  in  forbidding  public 
religious  worship  at  the  American  Embassy  in  Rome 
(conduct  since  rendered  impossible  by  the  unification 
of  Italy)  ;  a  bill  for  the  reestablishment  of  light 
houses  and  other  aids  to  navigation  along  the 
Southern  coasts  ;  a  memorial  urging  an  appropria 
tion  for  the  payment  of  the  officers  and  crew  of  the 
"  Kearsage  "  for  the  destruction  of  the  rebel  cruiser 
"Alabama  ;"  a  petition  praying  that  books  imported 
for  literary  institutions  and  the  encouragement  of  the 
fine  arts  be  admitted  free  of  duty  ;  a  plea  from  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  preservation  of  the 
harbor  of  New  York  ;  a  presentation  of  concurrent 
resolutions  of  the  New  York  Legislature  asking  for 
the  continued  use  of  government  ships  for  hospital 
purposes  at  Quarantine  ;  a  prayer  of  dealers  in 
leather,  and  in  sugars,  and  of  manufacturers  of  stoves, 


246  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

calling  official  attention  to  their  needs  ;  a  petition  of 
the  Fire  Insurance  Companies  of  New  York  to  obtain 
exemption  from  oppressive  internal  revenue  taxes  ;  a 
bill  relieving  from  tonnage  duty  certain  vessels 
trading  from  San  Francisco  to  the  Sandwich  Islands 
(where  were  the  California  Representatives?)  ;  a  peti 
tion  from  the  workingmen  of  New  York  engaged  in 
Italian  marble  yards,  complaining  of  excessive  duties 
on  that  article  ;  a  bill  not  to  increase  the  duty  on 
"crash  "  made  by  the  peasantry  of  Russia,  and  largely 
used  for  toweling  by  the  poorer  classes  in  America — 
which  he  personally  carried. 

He  also  helped  to  pass  over  President  Johnson's 
vetoes  a  number  of  bills  which  he  considered  vital, 
chief  among  which  were  :  One  regulating  the  tenure 
of  office  ;  one  extending  the  elective  franchise  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  so  as  to  include  the  Negro  resi 
dents  ;  and  one  to  admit  into  the  Union  the  States  of 
Colorado  and  Nebraska. 

This  rich  man  had  once  been  a  poor  man — a  fact  he 
never  forgot.  Whatever  tended  to  help  the  poor  he 
was  sure  to  favor.  It  was  proposed  to  add  the  United 
States  tax  on  horse-railroads  in  the  cities  of  the  coun 
try  to  their  rate  of  fare.  Mr.  Dodge  opposed  and 
defeated  it.  He  said  : 

"  The  remarks  of  my  colleague  from  New  York  (Mr.  Hotch- 
kiss)  may  be  very  correct  in  regard  to  the  railroads  in  the 
smaller  towns  and  cities ;  but  we  find  in  New  York  that  our 
street  railroads  are  very  oppressive.  They  have  obtained  a 
right  to  run  through  our  streets.  They  have  secured  valuable 
franchises,  on  the  condition  that  they  would  transport  people 
from  the  lower  to  the  upper  part  of  the  city — the  poor  men  that 
the  gentleman  refers  to,  the  mechanics,  the  men  who  cannot 


WHAT    HE    SAID    IN    WASHINGTON.  247 

afford  to  walk  two  or  three  miles  to  their  business.  They  were 
granted  these  franchises  because  they  agreed  to  carry  passen 
gers  at  a  given  fare.  If  this  amendment  passes,  they  will  be 
authorized  to  add  to  this  two  and  a  half  percent,  tax  upon  all 
these  poor  persons.  I  hope  the  amendment,  as  far  as  horse- 
railroads  in  the  large  cities  are  concerned,  will  not  be  adopted." 

When  we  think  of  the  wide  reach  of  these  measures, 
and  consider  the  subjects  of  his  speeches — not  the 
mere  shells  of  debate,  drum-and-trumpet  declamation, 
dry  law,  or  mere  selfish  bickerings  about  trade,  but 
matters  frequently  of  profound  interest  and  touching 
the  core  of  statesmanship  ;  and  then  recall  the  brief 
term  of  his  service,  cut  in  half  by  the  fraud  and  usur 
pation  of  his  predecessor  ;  we  may  ask  whether  any 
Representative  before  or  since  has  done  so  much  or 
so  well  ?  "  Long  after  he  had  left  Congress,"  re 
marks  a  relative,  "  he  was  heard  to  say  that  the  words 
then  spoken  wrere  uttered  in  the  fear  of  God,  at  times 
against  party  policy,  and  that,  after  years  of  mature 
deliberation,  he  would  not  wish  to  erase  one  sen 
tence." 

Notwithstanding  those  gusts  of  adverse  criticism, 
to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  the  essential 
honesty,  the  lofty  integrity,  the  political  capacity  of 
their  Congressman  were  so  highly  appreciated  by  the 
voters  of  the  Eighth  District  that  they  gave  him  a 
unanimous  renomination  in  the  autumn  of  1866.  He 
declined  the  honor  ;  and  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term,  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  as  he  took  the  train  for 
New  York. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MONUMENTAL     OCCURRENCES. 

THE  ex-representative's  interest  in  and  connection 
with  political  affairs  did  not  end  with  his  official 
withdrawal  from  Washington.  We  shall  find  him 
patriotically  alert  as  ever,  quick  of  eye  to  discern  and 
ready  of  tongue  to  enforce  wise  measures — no  longer, 
indeed,  as  a  legislator,  but  as  an  enlightened  citizen. 

His  first  act,  however,  after  reaching  the  metropolis 
was  to  get  back  into  touch  with  mercantile  life.  Mr. 
A.  A.  Low,  whom  he  had  succeeded  in  the  Presidency 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  had  just  returned  from 
a  visit  to  China.  On  the  i8th  of  September,  1867, 
the  Chamber  gave  a  dinner  in  honor  of  the  event. 
Mr.  Dodge  was  in  his  happiest  mood — felt  like  an 
emancipated  school-boy.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks 
he  said  : 

"  It  was  peculiarly  appropriate  that  our  honored  guest  should 
have  made  the  voyage  across  the  Pacific  on  the  first  of  the  line 
of  steamers  between  San  Francisco  and  Hong-Kong.  These 
vessels  have  inaugurated  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  our  com 
merce.  The  mind  staggers  at  what  may  grow  out  of  near  con 
nection  with  the  millions  of  China  and  Japan.  A  nation  before 
Rome  was  founded,  China  had  attained  in  1813,  according  to 
the  native  census,  a  population  of  over  three  hundred  millions  ; 
yet  we  have  considered  ours  a  great  country  with  its  thirty-five 
millions.  And  we  have  looked  upon  our  Erie  Canal  as  a  large 
undertaking  ;  but  China  had  one  twice  its  length  before  Colum- 


MONUMENTAL    OCCURRENCES.  249 

bus  was  born.  We  have  well  been  proud  of  our  noble  Missis 
sippi  ;  yet  China  can  boast  of  her  Yangtse-Kiang,  nearly  as 
long,  with  better  water,  with  steamers  replacing  junks,  already 
ascending  fifteen  hundred  miles,  and  a  commerce  far  exceeding 
that  of  our  own  great  river.  We  possess  special  advantages 
for  securing  the  largest  share  of  trade — trade  with  these  intelli 
gent  and  industrious  nations.  May  we  not  hope  also  that  their 
more  intimate  intercourse  with  us  shall  be  the  means  of  turn 
ing  them  from  the  worship  of  dumb  idols  to  serve  the  living 
and  true  God  ?  " 

The  keen  man  of  business,  always  on  the  lookout 
for  investments,  resumed  his  Railroad  interests  and 
extended  them  into  the  West  and  South.  The  Inter 
national  and  Great  Northern  Railroad  now  welcomed 
him  into  the  board  of  directors.  He  also  helped  to 
build,  and  soon  became  president,  of  the  Houston 
and  Texas  Central  Railroad.  These  enterprises  were 
intended  to  connect  with  lines  existing  or  prospected 
in  Mexico,  and  thus  to  open  the  sister  Republic  to 
Yankee  commerce.  In  these  busy  months,  too,  he 
put  money  and  energy  into  the  elevated  railroads, 
which  have  done  so  much  to  develop  upper  New  York 
City  by  solving  the  problem  of  rapid  transit,  and 
bringing  the  Battery  and  Harlem  River  into  neigh 
borly  relations. 

Meantime,  the  presidential  term  of  Andrew  John 
son  was  drawing  to  a  close.  The  question  of  ques 
tions  was,  Who  shall  succeed  the  outgoing  tenant  of 
the  W^hite  House,  installed  by  the  bullet  of  Wilkes 
Booth  ?  Many  eminent  men  were  "  willin',''  like 
Barkis,  in  "  David  Copperfield."  Others  were  off  on 
a  presidential  fishing  excursion — as  likely  to  be  suc 
cessful  as  one  who  should  expect  to  fish  out  of  the 


250  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Atlantic  ocean  with  a  pin  hook  a  ticket  calling  for 
the  capital  prize  in  a  lottery  to  be  drawn  in  the 
moon.  One  name  was  upon  all  lips,  that  of  the  vic 
torious  soldier  who  had  saved  the  Union.  Mr.  Dodge 
was  conscious  of  General  Grant's  lack  of  civil  ex 
perience.  Nor  did  he  share  in  the  American  foible 
of  considering  a  successful  man  competent  for  every 
thing.  Does  a  man  achieve  distinction  in  one  direc 
tion,  we  hail  him  as  a  universal  genius  and  endow 
him  withTa  faculty  for  all  work.  A  mechanic  invents 
a  new  stitch  in  a  carpet-web  ;  straightway  he  is  sent 
to  Congress.  A  literateur  writes  a  brilliant  history  ; 
he  is  despatched  to  the  Court  of  St.  James.  A  lawyer 
argues  an  india-rubber  case  ably  ;  on  the  strength  of 
that  he  is  made  a  governor.  It  should  seem  that  a 
moment's  reflection  might  disclose  the  absurdity  of 
it.  Success  in  one  sphere  is  reason  enough  for  con 
cluding  that  the  right  man  should  be  kept  in  the 
right  place,  and  not  shoved  into  the  wrong  place. 
Let  the  mechanic  continue  to  invent,  and  the  literary 
man  continue  to  write,  and  the  lawyer  continue  to 
plead.  Why  spoil  a  success  in  one  field  to  make  a 
failure  in  another  field  ? 

Mr.  Dodge  felt  thus.  Nevertheless,  he  strongly 
favored  the  nomination  and  election  of  General  Grant. 
Himself  a  man  of  peace,  he  was  not  attracted  towards 
him  because  of  his  martial  exploits.  It  would  never 
have  occurred  to  him  to  hook  a  candidate  out  of  a  sea 
of  blood  under  the  dazzle  of  "  glory,"  as  the  Whig 
party  did  in  the  case  of  General  Taylor.  But  this 
quiet,  modest  commander  never  paraded  his  epaulets. 
His  splendid  services,  his  serene  composure  in  danger, 
his  Saxon  grit,  his  equality  to  the  occasion,  his  charm- 


MONUMENTAL    OCCURRENCES.  251 

ing  home  life,  his  religious  proclivities — these  were 
the  qualities  which  won  and  held  the  admiration  of 
William  E.  Dodge.  He  regarded  Grant  as  the  third 
in  the  historic  trio  to  whom  America  was  supremely 
indebted,  and  was  persuaded  that  he  must  ever  stand 
upon  the  pedestal  of  immortality  with  Washington 
and  Lincoln. 

Well,  when  the  victor  of  Appomattox  was  victor  at 
the  polls  in  November,  the  Union  League  Club 
invited  him  to  New  York,  and  dined  him  a  month 
later  in  royal  fashion.  The  occasion  was  brilliant  and 
memorable.  All  the  high  mightinesses  of  politics, 
literature  and  commerce  put  their  knees  under  the 
mahogany  and  hobnobed  around  the  table.  Mr. 
Dodge  was  one  of  the  postprandial  orators.  His 
speech  is  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  seriousness  of  its 
tone  and  its  recognition  of  the  Divine  Sovereignty — 
sounding  in  that  hilarious  scene  like  a  church  hymn 
sung  in  an  opera  bouffe.  Not  that  he  lugged  in  un 
timely  themes  by  the  head  and  shoulders.  No  ;  such 
was  the  habitual  mood  of  his  devout  mind.  His 
toast  was  :  "  Congress,  the  Guardian  of  the  People's 
Rights."  He  said  : 

"  It  is  instructive  to  look  back  and  mark  the  Providence  of 
God,  which  not  only  guided  in  the  establishment  of  our  Repub 
lican  form  of  government,  but  has  so  manifestly  watched  over 
it  ever  since.  It  was  adapted  to  our  wants  when  we  were  just 
emerging  from  colonial  dependence,  and  it  is  found  equally 
efficient  now  that  we  have  three  times  the  number  of  States,  and 
four  times  as  many  representatives.  The  wise  adjustment  of 
responsibility  between  the  legislative,  executive  and  judicial 
departments,  provided  for  in  the  Constitution,  has  continued  to 
work  harmoniously,  and  to  meet  every  emergency.  Although 


252  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

we  have  seen  that  a  president,  in  striving  to  enforce  his  own 
views,  can  temporarily  embarrass  the  proper  functions  of  Con 
gress,  yet  the  people,  in  whom  is  invested  the  final  appeal  can 
place,  and  have  placed,  through  their  chosen  representatives,  a 
solemn  veto  upon  such  attempts." 

Another  occurrence  in  the  following  year  (1869), 
gave  the  religious  nature  of  Mr.  Dodge  the  satisfac 
tion  given  by  the  election  of  General  Grant  to  his 
patriotic  feelings.  There  had  been  a  long  and  dismal 
schism  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Good  men  had 
quarrelled  over  statements  while  agreeing  in  thought 
and  purpose.  The  controversy  had  been  embittered 
and  precipitated  by  that  ancient  and  chronic  trouble 
maker,  the  slavery  question,  now  happily  gotten  rid 
of.  One  Church  was  existing  in  two  dissevered 
branches,  with  a  double  equipment  and  at  a  double 
expense.  By-and-bye  the  folly  and  wickedness  of  it 
were  realized.  At  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  the  "old"  and 
"  new  "  schools  (as  they  were  called)  came  together. 
Being  a  Presbyterian,  Mr.  Dodge  was  present  as  a 
commissioner.  He  had  been  active  and  prominent  in 
the  overtures  looking  and  leading  towards  this 
consummation.  On  the  i2th  of  November,  as  hands 
were  clasped,  he  gave  vent  to  his  emotions  in  a  speech 
which  was  a  psalm  : 

"  If  I  attempt  to  say  anything,  dear  brethren,  it  will  be  to 
give  an  outburst  of  my  heart  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist : 
'  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  His 
holy  name  ! ' 

"  Hereafter  our  strong  men,  our  honored  professors,  will  not 
spend  their  time  in  attempting  to  find  out  whether  we  differ  as 
a  Church,  but  in  the  determination  to  stimulate  us  to  the  utmost 
capacity,  so  that  every  member  of  the  United  Church  may  go 


MONUMENTAL  OCCURRENCES.          253 

forward  in  the  great  work  of  subduing  this  dying  world  to 
Jesus  Christ.  I  have  no  doubt  we  have  honestly  differed  ;  but 
let  us  forget  all  those  differences.  We  are  a  united  country, 
and  if  we  would  be  united  in  truth,  North  and  South,  and  be 
one  great  country,  we  must  forget  all  past  causes  of  separation. 

"  More  than  twenty  years  ago  two  eminent  merchants  in  the 
city  of  New  York  commenced  business  together  poor,  but  they 
prospered  year  by  year  until  each  had  rolled  up  a  large  estate. 
Upon  one  occasion  they  differed  in  regard  to  a  matter  of  policy 
in  business.  The  difference  grew  into  anger  ;  they  separated, 
each  believing  the  other  intended  to  do  wrong.  The  very  next 
day  there  was  a  dissolution  of  partnership  ;  and  for  ten  long 
years  they  never  spoke  to  each  other,  their  business  being 
settled  through  mutual  friends.  They  grew  gray  in  their  differ 
ences.  At  last,  as  one  of  them  was  musing  in  his  library, 
thinking  of  the  origin  of  the  separation,  and  of  their  pleasure  in 
early  life,  the  thought  passed  through  his  mind,  '  Can  it  be 
possible  that  I  misunderstood  him  ?  '  He  spent  a  sleepless 
night,  and  in  the  morning  he  went  to  a  friend  of  both,  and  said  : 
'  Go  to  my  former  partner,  and  see  if  he  meant  so  and  so.'  The 
answer  was,  '  No  ;  I  never  thought  of  such  a  thing.'  When 
the  merchant  who  had  sent  the  message  received  this  reply,  he 
exclaimed,  '  Can  it  be  possible  that  we  have  suffered  all  this 
through  these  many  years,  simply  because  we  misunderstood 
each  other,  or  thought  we  did  ?  '  A  reconciliation  took  place, 
and  the  two  men  were  bound  together  again  as  long  as  they 
lived. 

"  Let  this  union  of  ours  be  one  that  shall  never  break.  Let 
us  never  separate  because  we  think  we  differ  on  certain  ques 
tions  of  policy.  What  we  want  now  is  to  aid  one  another  to 
the  utmost  of  our  ability.  Let  all  the  past  be  forgotten,  and 
let  us  go  forward." 

Under  the  spell  of  these  words,  the  reunited  body 
made  instant  overtures  to  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church,  also  split  off  by  differences  rising  out  of 


254  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

slavery.  Mr.  Dodge,  with  two  distinguished  clerical 
associates,1  visited  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  the 
secession  brethren  were  in  annual  session,  presented 
the  Christian  salutations  of  the  Pittsburg  Assembly, 
and  urged  the  reunion  of  Northern  and  Southern 
Presbyterianism  as  a  Christian  duty.  They  were 
received  kindly.  They  were  heard  patiently.  Their 
words  made  a  deep  impression.  But  no  action  was 
taken.  It  was  too  soon.  War.  memories  still  burned. 
It  is  harder  for  the  defeated  to  forget  and  forgive 
than  for  the  conqueror.  The  first  movement  towards 
peace  and  alliance  came  from  the  North — properly. 
Good  seeds  were  planted  that  day  in  good  soil.  The 
crop  of  good  will  is  sure  to  spring  up  and  be  harvested 
in  eventual  union. 

The  Pittsburg  Assembly  resolved  to  commemorate 
the  disappearance  of  the  "  old  "  and  the  "new" 
schools,  and  the  reappearance  of  a  single  church  by 
the  raising  of  $5,000,000  for  the  advancement  of 
Christianity.  Mr.  Dodge  was  made  treasurer  of  this 
memorial  fund.  As  Andrew  Johnson  a  few  years 
before  had  "  swung  round  the  circle  "  for  political 
effect,  so  Mr.  Dodge  now  made  a  circuit  in  the  interest 
of  this  trust,  speaking  frequently  and  effectively  ;  so 
that  the  $5,000,000  asked  for  became  $8,000,000  given 
before  the  books  were  closed — a  magnificent  monu 
ment  memorializing  a  transcendent  event. 


1  Rev.  Drs.  J.  C.  Backus  and  H.  J.  Van  Dyck. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

SCHOOLING    THE    BLACKS. 

WHEN  Parliament  voted  to  extend  the  franchise  in 
England,  a  few  decades  back,  Robert  Lowe  leaped  to 
his  feet  and  said,  "  Now  we  must  educate  these  new 
voters ;  the  safety  of  the  realm  is  at  stake."  Mr. 
Dodge  felt  as  the  British  statesman  expressed  himself 
with  reference  to  the  Negro  race  ;  chattels  yesterday, 
citizens  to-day.  He  had  long  since  laughed  the  col 
onization  fallacy  into  the  limbo  of  exploded  humbugs. 
Since  these  people  were  here,  here  to  stay,  Americans 
by  birth  and  now  in  privilege,  what  other  duty  was 
comparable  to  this  of  Negro  education  ?  He  meant 
by  education  not  a  mere  intellectual  development. 
Education  is  a  comprehensive  term.  It  properly 
includes  the  moral  as  well  as  the  mental  faculties — 
the  whole  being.  Intellectualism  alone  is  as  danger 
ous  as  ignorance  itself.  It  needs  to  be  balanced  by 
spiritual  culture.  Strange,  that  this  merchant  should 
have  been  wiser  here  than  many  scholars.  For  lie 
understood  what  some  scholars  do  not,  that  mere 
literary  proficiency  is  a  delusion  and  snare.  Many  of 
the  literati  are  more  heathenish  than  the  heathen — 
more  Philistine  than  Goliath  of  Gath.  In  Athens  the 
literary  period  was  precisely  the  epoch  of  grossest 
degeneracy.  Demosthenes  thundered,  but  the  people 
quailed  and  surrendered  to  Philip.  They  knew  which 


256  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

way  a  Greek  accent  should  slant,  but  neither  knew,  nor 
cared  to  know,  how  to  right  up  fallen  humanity. 
They  worshipped  pictures  and  statues,  poems  and 
orations,  and  despised  men  and  women.  What  is 
true  of  Greece  is  likewise  true  of  the  middle  ages. 
The  dreariest  midnight  of  servility  and  immorality 
occurred  when  literature  was  most  flourishing  under 
Pope  Leo  X.,  and  the  Florentine  Medici — times  in 
which  a  Cardinal  could  and  did  say  :  "  I  had  rather 
have  my  part  in  Paris  than  in  Paradise  !  " 

Take  the  Paris  of  to-day.  It  is  a  beautiful  body 
without  a  soul,  like  Hawthorne's  hero  in  "  The  Mar 
ble  Faun."  Letters  and  art  are  there  lofty  as  Mount 
Blanc,  while  morality  is  as  low  down,  in  comparison, 
as  the  Vale  of  Chamouni.  Art  labors  to  decorate 
vice.  Letters  exist  to  pen  bon  mots  against  virtue. 

Mr.  Dodge  had  no  desire  to  import  and  impart  such 
models.  He  believed  to  the  center  of  his  being  in 
education  ;  but  it  must  be  Christian  education,  cul 
ture  of  soul  as  well  as  mind.  Accordingly,  he  began 
while  the  civil  war  was  raging,  to  devote  time  and 
means  to  the  establishment  or  enlargement  of  such 
institutions  as  would  school  upon  this  principle  the 
Negro  race.  This  work  grew  upon  him  as  the  years 
passed,  until  he  diverted  the  larger  part  of  his  educa 
tional  fund  into  the  new  channel.  He  was  aware 
that  others  would  care  for  the  whites,  both  North  and 
South.  He  now  made  the  blacks  his  wards,  with  the 
special  object  of  providing  intelligent  teachers  and 
preachers  for  the  colored  people. 

Such  a  school  he  found  already  in  existence, 
although  struggling  against  wind  and  tide,  in  Chester 
County,  Pennsylvania,  within  an  hour's  ride  by  rail- 


SCHOOLING    THE    BLACKS.  257 

road  of  Philadelphia.  It  was  then  known  as  "  Ashman 
Institute,"  but  afterwards  became  "  Lincoln  Uni 
versity,"  the  "  pioneer  in  the  liberal  education  of 
colored  youth,  its  charter  dating  ten  years  before 
the  act  of  Emancipation."  The  president,  Dr.  I.  N. 
Kendall,  in  an  interesting  letter,  recently  written, 
describes  the  interest  in  and  work  for  it  of  its  chief 
benefactor  : 

"  Mr.  Dodge  was  elected  a  trustee  in  1862.  At  that  time 
the  property  in  the  hands  of  the  Board  reached  a  value  of  about 
ten  thousand  dollars,  with  accommodations  for  sixteen  students. 
It  has  now,  in  endowments  and  buildings,  a  property  worth 
nearly  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  there  are  two  hun 
dred  and  fourteen  students.  In  all  the  steps  of  this  develop 
ment  Mr.  Dodge  had  a  most  effective  part.  The  dark  days  of 
the  civil  war  was  a  notable  time  to  enter  upon  the  higher  educa 
tion  of  the  Negro.  But  it  was  at  that  time  when  the  good 
design  was  necessarily  an  experiment,  that  Mr.  Dodge  gave  to 
this  work  the  encouragement  of  his  name,  and  the  help  of  his 
counsel  and  of  his  gifts.  The  Rev.  Dr.  John  M.  Dickey, 
founder  of  the  institution,  told  me  that  the  first  contribution 
given  to  build  the  first  edifice  here  was  from  Anson  G.  Phelps ; 
and  from  that  time  the  largest  single  and  aggregate  contribu 
tions  towards  the  enlargement  of  our  work  have  come  from  the 
members  of  that  household — the  total  amount  being  not  less 
than  fifty  thousand  dollars  ;  and  Mr.  Dodge's  direct  personal 
influence  secured  from  others  as  much  more.  Of  his  own  gifts, 
twenty  thousand  dollars  founded  the  Chair  of  Sacred  Rhetoric, 
three  thousand  made  up  a  deficiency  for  the  Chair  of  Latin,  and 
a.  large  part  of  the  remainder  has  been  given  for  the  annual 
support  of  students.  It  is  noteworthy  in  our  experience  that 
the  professorship  founded  by  Mr.  Dodge  has  been  the  one 
through  which  the  most  appreciated  effects  of  our  system  of 
education  have  been  produced.  The  course  in  rhetoric  here 
is  more  prominent  than  in  our  Northern  colleges  for  white 


258  WILLIAM    E.    DOUGE. 

students.  In  our  public  meetings,  held  in  New  York  City 
and  other  places,  it  has  been  as  practical  orators  that  our 
graduates  have  made  the  deepest  impression  upon  the  friends 
of  Christian  education.  Some  of  the  students,  supported  by 
Mr.  Dodge,  have  become  our  most  influential  representatives. 
The  work  he  promoted  here  was  an  expression  of  his  mature 
judgment  as  to  what  was  needed  among  the  freedmen,  and 
of  the  sympathy  he  cherished  for  them  in  their  needs.  In 
advancing  this  work  here  and  elsewhere,  he  was  self-denying, 
generous,  and  indefatigable.  His  hope  of  lifting  up  the 
degraded  to  Gospel  heights  rested  on  the  use  of  the  Gospel 
means." 

Another  school  of  which  Mr.  Dodge  became  a 
patron  was  "  Zion  Wesley  College,"  at  Salisbury,  in 
North  Carolina  ;  a  Methodist  institution,  but  none 
the  less  needy  and  worthy  in  the  thought  and  heart 
of  this  Christian  philanthropist.  What  specially 
attracted  him  here  was  the  fact  that  it  was  an  African 
College,  in  the  faculty  as  well  as  in  the  undergradu 
ates — wholly  within  their  own  control.  What  experi 
ment  could  be  more  interesting  or  more  hopeful  ? 
He  aided  bravely  in  securing  for  it  a  suitable  endow 
ment,  and  gave  his  own  check  for  $5,000  to  make  up 
the  required  amount. 1 


1  With  regard  to  the  body,  one  of  whose  institutions  Mr.  Dodge 
thus  aided,  Judge  Tourgee  says,  in  a  recent  number  of  the 
Forum:  "The  African  Methodist  Church  (which  has  not  a 
white  man  among  its  members,  or  any  organic  relations  with  any 
white  church  organization)  reports  in  1889  a  membership  of  460,- 
ooo  ;  has  12,000  places  of  worship  ;  numbers  10,000  ministers  ; 
counts  15,000  Sabbath-Schools  ;  supports  its  own  denominational 
papers  ;  has  missions  in  the  West  Indies,  Mexico,  and  Africa  ; 
while  its  reported  contributions  foot  up  more  than  $2,000,000 
annually  for  the  support  of  church  work." 


SCHOOLING    THE    BLACKS.  259 

In  a  word,  wherever  any  honest,  earnest  effort  was 
made  either  for  or  among  these  poor  and  needy 
orphans  of  humanity — whether  it  was  "  Hampton,*' 
"  Howard,"  "  Atlanta,"  "  Biddle,"  no  matter  what  the 
school,  his  voice  was  raised  to  cheer  and  his  hand 
was  outstretched  to  bless.  Nor  did  he  stop  in  the 
present.  Providing  for  the  future,  he  was  careful  to 
write  down  in  his  will  liberal  bequests,  sometimes 
$5,000,  sometimes$io,ooo,  to  these  various  institutions  ; 
besides  leaving  a  fund  of  $50,000,  "  the  income  of 
which  should  be  applied  to  the  education  of  young 
colored  men  for  the  Gospel  ministry  ;  so  to  continue 
(he  said)  the  plan  which  I  have  carried  on  for  years  " 
— bequests  which  his  executors  have  conscienciously 
discharged. 

It  is  pleasant  to  add  the  testimony  of  a  competent 
witness,  "  that  of  all  the  students,  white  or  black,  who 
were  aided  by  his  gifts,  it  is  not  known  that  more 
than  three  or  four  ever  proved  themselves  unworthy 
of  his  confidence."1 

Is  it  possible  to  conceive  of  any  work  more  import 
ant  than  this?  more  unselfish?  more  telling  in  the 
present?  more  influential  in  the  future?  If  men  and 
women  are  the  best  fruitage  of  States  ;  if  the  founda 
tions  of  the  Republic  must  be  laid  broad  and  deep  in 
general  intelligence  and  moral  worth,  what  shall  be 
thought  or  said  of  those  who,  like  William  E.  Dodge, 
plant  schools  and  churches  as  farmers  plant  corn  ? 


1  The  Rev.  D.  Stuart  Dodge. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE    ABORIGINES. 

THE  original  American  was  a  red  man.  He  was  at 
once  a  savage  and  a  poet.  His  sonorous  names  desig 
nate  our 

"...  hills,  rock-ribbed  and  ancient  as  the  sun, 
The  venerable  woods,  rivers  that  move  in  majesty, 
And  the  complaining  brooks." 

His  traditions  hover  like  spirits  loath  to  depart 
around  our  lakes  and  waterfalls,  from  Winnepissi- 
ogie  to  Minnehaha.  Why  is  his  light  canoe  no  longer 
seen  at  daybreak  flitting  over  the  waters  ?  Why  is 
his  dusky  form  no  longer  visible  at  the  falls  of  the 
rivers  at  the  season  when  the  salmon  and  the  shad 
ascend  the  stream  ?  WThy  does  the  deer  no  longer 
bound  before  him,  hardly  outstripping  him  in  the 
chase  ?  Civilization  has  preempted  his  hunting- 
grounds.  In  this  there  is  nothing  to  regret.  But, 
alas,  that  the  chapter  recording  our  dealings  with 
him  should  be  so  treacherous  and  bloody — so  nearly 
on  a  level  with  his  own  barbarism  ! 

Men  who  have  seen  the  Indian  in  his  native  ugli 
ness — as  unlike  Fennimore  Cooper's  romance  as  a 
generous  friend  is  unlike  a  rattlesnake  ! — entertain  no 


THE    OBORIGINES.  261 

sentimental  fondness  for  him.  But  why,  after  two 
hundred  years  of  civilization  on  this  continent,  is  he 
yet  a  savage  ?  What  keeps  him  a  dangerous  and 
expensive  nuisance  ?  The  thoughtless  answer  :  "  His 
native  instincts."  Stop  !  Do  we  not  libel  God  when 
we  assert  that  he  has  made  a  race  incapable  of  civiliza 
tion?  Were  it  not  wiser  to  conclude  that  the  fault 
lies  with  us  rather  than  with  the  Creator? 

The  truth  is  that  the  whole  story  of  our  connection 
with  the  red  man  would  be  a  farce  if  it  were  not  a 
tragedy.  Our  agents  of  civilization  have  been  gun 
powder  and  whiskey.  Our  policy  and  practice  have 
perpetuated  barbarism.  We  have  bought  Indian 
lands  at  our  own  nominal  valuation,  and  in  numberless 
instances  failed  to  pay  even  the  stipulated  pittance. 
By  treating  the  Aborigines  as  a  foreign  element,  race 
antagonisms  have  been  bred  and  fostered  and  made 
unnecessarily  to  clash.  We  have  placed  them  on 
reservations  this  year  only  to  remove  them  the  next 
year,  when  their  territory  became  attractive  to  the  eye 
of  greed.  By  these  frequent  removals  they  have  been 
held  within  the  moral  miasma  of  the  border,  in  con 
tact  with  white  frontiersmen  worse  than  themselves — 
the  sewerage  of  humanity.  With  such  models,  we 
have  marvelled  at  their  unwillingness  to  accept  Chris 
tian  civilization  off-hand  !  Because  they  have  not 
done  so,  it  is  loudly  proclaimed  that  the  only  possible 
solution  of  the  Indian  question  is  extermination  ! 

Well,  the  policy  of  extermination  has  been  tried 
ever  since  1620.  The  government  has  spent  $1,000,- 
000,000  since  1789,  when  Washington  took  the  oath  as 
first  President  of  the  United  States,  because  this 
nation  would  not  believe  the  red  man  was  a  human 


262  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

being.  It  costs  $1,500,000  to  kill  one  Indian  !  Liter 
ally,  a  while  ago  the  Cheyennes  smeared  their  faces 
and  started  on  the  war-path.  They  were  four  hun 
dred  and  eight  warriors  strong.  They  covered  the 
frontier  with  fire  and  blood,  and  like  the  Frenchman 
and  savage  of  Colonial  days,  ran  the  boundary  with 
the  fire-brand  and  the  scalping-knife.  The  settler's 
wife  hugged  her  babes  in  terror  to  her  breast,  and 
every  pale-face  hurried  to  the  protection  of  the  forts. 
At  the  close  of  twenty-eight  months  the  Cheyennes 
washed  the  paint  off  their  faces,  declared  peace  and 
came  in  four  hundred  and  two  strong.  We  had  spent 
three  years,  nearly,  scores  of  lives,  $9,000,000 — and 
killed  exactly  six  Indians !  This  is  the  policy  of 
extermination. 

If  we  pass  to  the  other  side  of  the  great  lakes  and 
contrast  it  with  the  English  method  in  Canada,  a 
lesson  may  be  learned.  When  England  meets  a  tribe 
she  does  not  push  it  before  her  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet,  like  Uncle  Sam  ;  she  throws  around  it  the  arms 
of  her  civil  laws — abolishes  the  frontier,  isolates  bar 
barism  within  a  gracious  environment  of  civilization. 
If  an  Indian  commits  a  trespass,  she  does  not  dispatch 
a  regiment  after  him  on  the  double-quick,  like  the 
Solons  at  Washington  ;  she  sends  a  constable.  If  a 
red  man  has  a  complaint,  she  does  not  wave  him  away 
to  a  colonel  at  the  nearest  military  post,  as  we  do  ; 
she  points  him  to  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

With  what  result  ?  For  ninety-seven  years  no 
Indian  has  lifted  his  hand  against  a  subject  of  the 
Queen.  With  a  large  Indian  population,  naturally  as 
ferocious  as  our  own,  there  is  yet  not  a  spot  in 
Canada,  since  the  war  of  1812,  marked  by  white  blood 


THE    ABORIGINES.  263 

shed  by  Indian  hands.1  For  nearly  a  century  the 
Crown  has  not  spent  a  penny  on  the  Indian  question. 
To-day  an  Englishman  may  vault  into  the  saddle  in 
Montreal  and  ride  west  to  the  Pacific  without  a  revol 
ver — safe  from  Indian  interference. 

Observing  these  facts,  and  marking  this  contrast, 
President  Grant,  as  soon  as  he  entered  the  White 
House,  announced  a  moral  change  of  front  in  the 
national  programme.  "  I  will  favor,"  said  he,  "  any 
course  towards  the  Indians  which  tends  to  their 
civilization,  Christianization  and  ultimate  citizenship." 
Singular  that  it  should  have  been  left  to  a  soldier  to 
inaugurate  the  policy  of  peace  !  At  first  he  substi 
tuted  army  officers  for  Indian  agents  throughout 
red-man-dom.  This  was  a  gain  ;  but  it  still  kept  the 
Indian  in  contact  with  military  rather  than  civil  in 
fluence.  Next,  the  Executive  transferred  the  manage 
ment  of  Indian  Affairs  to  a  board  of  ten  commis 
sioners,  selected  "  from  men  eminent  for  their  intelli 
gence  and  philanthropy,"  who  would  serve  with 
out  pay. 

William  E.  Dodge  was  requested  to  become  a 
member  of  this  board,  as  were  also  Messrs,  the  Hon. 
Felix  R.  Brunot,  of  Pittsburg  ;  William  Welsh  and 
George  H.  Stuart,  of  Philadelphia  ;  John  V.  Farwell, 
of  Chicago  ;  Robert  Campbell,  of  St.  Louis  ;  E.  S. 
Tobey,  of  Boston  ;  the  Hon.  H.  S.  Lane,  of  Indian- 


1  The  late  troubles  in  Manitoba  between  the  Canadian  Govern^ 
ment  and  the  half-breeds  may  seem  to  discredit  this  statement. 
But  those  difficulties  originated,  not  in  race  antipathies  and  white 
greed,  but  in  the  ambition  of  a  demagogue  and  would-be  political 
leader. 


264  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

apolis,  and  Nathan  Bishop,  M.D.,  of  New  York— the 
ten  most  illustrious  names,  in  their  spheres,  in 
America.  Would  they,  could  they  serve  ?  Mr.  Brunot, 
who  became  chairman  of  the  Commission,  writes, 
regarding  its  formation  : 

"  Few  of  these  gentlemen  at  first  seemed  to  think  acceptance 
possible,  owing  to  the  magnitude  and  pressure  of  their  private 
duties.  Only  the  reasonable  request  accompanying  the  official 
letter,  asking  that  no  adverse  reply  be  made  until  a  meeting  for 
consultation  could  be  held  at  Washington,  prevented  Mr.  Dodge 
and  several  others  from  declining  the  honor  at  once.  But  when, 
after  full  consultation  with  the  President,  the  Secretary,  the 
Indian  Committees  of  Congress,  and  with  each  other,  they  were 
convinced  that  the  opportunity  presented  itself  to  prevent  the 
threatened  Indian  war,  to  reform  the  long  corrupt  Indian 
administration  of  Indian  affairs,  to  change  the  policy  of  injus 
tice  and  wrong,  and  warfare  and  extermination,  for  that  of 
honesty  and  fair  dealing,  and  to  inaugurate  practical  measures 
for  the  civilization,  education  and  Christianization  of  the  Indian, 
they  felt  compelled  to  accept  the  trust." 

Having  been  organized,  how  did  the  Commission 
work  ?  Listen  on  this  point  to  Mr.  Thomas  K.  Cree, 
the  original  secretary  : 

"  The  members,  in  consultation  with  the  President,  divided 
up  the  seventy  Indian  agencies  among  the  different  religious 
denominations,  giving  a  fair  proportion  to  each.  The  missionary 
boards  or  some  kindred  authority  were  asked  to  name  the 
seventy  agents,  who  in  turn  had  the  appointing  of  some  nine 
hundred  subordinates.  Thus  the  management  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  thousand  Indians — civilized,  half-civilized  and 
barbarous — was  handed  over  to  the  Church,  every  branch  of 
which  was  asked  to  assist  in  the  work.  The  intention  was  that 
all  the  employees  should  be  Christinn  men  pnr)  women.  \vi*'i 


THE    ABORIGINES.  265 

salaries  ranging  from  six  hundred  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars  per 
annum.  The  call  was  for  doctors,  teachers,  farmers,  black 
smiths,  millers,  etc.  Thus  it  was  expected  that  nearly  a  thou 
sand  Christian  men  and  women  would  go  among  the  Indians, 
and  by  precept  and  example  Christianize,  civilize  and  educate 
them.  It  was  the  grand  opportunity  of  the  Church.  Unfor 
tunately  the  Church  failed  to  see  the  great  opening.  In  some 
cases  men  who  were  not  even  professing  Christians  were  named 
as  agents,  and  it  was  exceptional  where  the  subordinate  posi 
tions  were  filled  by  Christian  men ;  some  of  the  agents  were 
appointed  by  local  and  political  influence  exerted  upon  the 
mission  boards ;  some  could  not  resist  the  opportunities  so 
abundantly  offered  for  making  money  dishonestly,  and  the 
subordinates  were  often  men  of  no  character  whatever.  Yet 
this  system,  grand  in  its  conception,  but  imperfectly  carried  out, 
secured  agents  who  were,  as  a  class,  honest,  and  went  with  the 
intention  of  doing  what  they  could  for  the  service  and  for  the 
Indian." 

Mr.  Dodge  was,  of  course,  new  in  this  special  field. 
But  he  did  as  he  always  did,  made  the  work  a  matter 
of  conscience,  allotting  to  it  more  time  and  attention 
than  he  could  well  spare.  He  was  on  each  of  the 
more  important  committees,  where  his  services  were 
highly  valued  by  his  colleagues.  With  the  Executive 
Committee,  which  shaped  the  policy  of  the  board,  and 
with  the  Purchasing  Committee,  which  supervised  the 
buying  of  Indian  supplies  (fertile  field  of  immemorial 
peculation),  his  connections  were  intimate.  His  busi 
ness  capacity  and  experience  in  philanthropy,  a 
veteran  in  each,  gave  his  words  authority  and  his 
decisions  conclusive  weight. 

In  the  summer  of  1869,  wishing  personally  to 
inspect  the  ground,  Mr.  Dodge,  with  two  of  his 
fellow-commissioners  (Messrs.  Brunot  and  BishopV 


266  WIT.LIAM    E.    DODGE. 

pushed  into  the  Indian  territory,  thirty  days  beyond 
the  reach  of  mails.  Could  a  city  man  give  better 
proof  of  his  interest  in  a  cause  than  by  voluntarily  on 
its  behalf  cutting  himself  off  from  postmen  and  rail 
roads  and  telegraphs  and  morning  newspapers — and 
dividends  ? 

Nevertheless,  the  coterie  had  a  good  time  of  it,  a 
regular  picnic,  with  plenty  of  buffalo  meat  and  veni 
son  and  birds  in  the  larder  ;  with  lofty  mountains 
and  rushing  rivers,  recalling  the  headlong  Alpine 
torrents,  and  lovely,  sequestered  valleys  to  decorate 
the  landscape  ;  with  cool  nights  to  sleep  in,  their  feet 
stretched  down  towards  the  twinkling  camp  fires  ; 
with  tonic  air,  the  very  ozone  of  the  eternal  hills,  to 
fill  their  town-accustomed  lungs  ;  and,  at  last,  with 
Indians,  thousands  of  them,  to  look  at  and  talk  to — 
picturesque  in  their  native  wildness — in  villages  that 
were  only  camps — the  men,  women,  children,  each 
with  a  horse  or  pony — life  nomadic  and  primeval. 

Several  council  fires  were  lighted,  the  pipe  of  peace 
was  smoked  and  passed  (Mr.  Dodge  smoked  by 
proxy),  and  the  Commissioners  freely  voiced  their 
wishes  and  hopes,  the  New  York  merchant  being  their 
usual  spokesman.  In  this  way  the  Cheyennes,  Ara- 
pahoes,  Kiowas,  and  Commanches,  were  approached 
and  exhorted — getting,  perhaps,  in  these  three  Com 
missioners  their  first  view  of  a  pale-face  warm  with 
Christian  kindliness.  On  one  of  these  occasions  Mr. 
Dodge  said  : 

"  We  have  come  a  great  way  from  the  East  to  see  you.  We 
are  not  Indian  agents.  We  live  at  home  and  have  our  own 
business  ;  but  the  Great  Father  sent  us  to  see  you.  We  have 
not  come  to  make  treaties  or  to  make  presents.  But  the  Great 


THE    ABORIGINES.  267 

Father  has  heard  many  stories.  There  are  good  Indians  and 
bad  ones  ;  good  whites  and  bad  ones.  We  are  come  to  hear 
what  you  have  to  say,  and  will  report  it  to  the  Great  Father. 
He  and  all  the  good  whites  want  the  Indians  to  do  well,  and  to 
come  and  live  here  on  their  reservations,  and  they  will  be  pro 
tected  ;  but  if  the  young  men  wander  off  and  go  on  the  war 
path  into  Texas  or  elsewhere,  they  must  be  punished. 

"  The  Great  Father  does  not  want  to  give  you  guns  or  pow 
der,  but  wants  you  to  have  clothing,  food,  and  farming  imple 
ments,  and  to  help  you  to  raise  corn  and  support  yourselves. 
He  will  be  careful  to  send  you  good  agents  hereafter,  who  will 
give  you  all  that  is  promised.  He  wants  you  to  cultivate  your 
lands  and  become  a  part  of  this  great  nation. 

"  Bad  white  men  have  given  whiskey  to  the  tribes  of  the 
East,  and  they  have  all  perished  from  it.  Keep  it  away 
from  you." 

The  Commissioners  reached  home  in  the  middle  of 
September.  Mrs.  Dodge  and  Mrs.  Brunot  accom 
panied  the  party  throughout  the  trip. 

In  the  golden  days  of  October  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge 
set  out  for  Pittsburg,  to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  "  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions."  The  traveller,  fresh  from  the  plains 
recited  his  experience  to  the  crowds  in  attendance, 
and  thus  concluded  : 

"  We  came  back  with  the  conviction  that  the  time  has  arrived 
when  the  Indians,  driven  from  their  accustomed  haunts  on  the 
plains  and  in  the  mountains,  must  seek  some  different  location, 
where,  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  Government,  they  may 
be  tutored  in  the  habits  of  civilization  by  the  aid  of  schools, 
which  the  Government  has  promised  to  establish,  and  by  the 
efforts  of  Christians  throughout  the  land. 

"  Remembering  what  God  has  done  for  us,  and  what  we 
have  just  heard  he  is  now  doing  among  the  Dakotas,  we 


268  WILLIAM    E.    UODGE. 

believe  the  people  of  the  United  States  must  awaken  to  a  sense 
of  their  responsibility  to  do  something  to  save  these  men — 
many  of  them  wild  as  the  savages  on  the  plains  of  Africa — 
poor  wanderers,  so  long  oppressed,  neglected,  abused,  and 
feared ;  sc  Jong  standing  in  the  way  of  the  settlement  of  our 
borders.  They  are  the  last  remnant  of  the  aborigines  of  our 
country.  Let  us  rescue  them  from  extermination.  We  are 
convinced  that  they  may  yet  become  a  blessing  to  us  and  to 
the  nation." 

Of  the  work  of  the  Commissioners  during  the  five 
years  of  Mr.  Dodge's  connection  with  it,  Mr.  Brunot 
says  : 

"  An  examination  of  the  five  annual  reports — comprising 
more  than  a  thousand  printed  pages — the  files  of  the  Record 
Office  at  Washington,  and  the  columns  of  the  public  press  dur 
ing  the  years  of  this  service,  show  the  extent  and  importance 
of  the  gratuitous  services  of  the  members.  Performing  many 
onerous  duties,  working  out  important  reforms,  and  forwarding 
by  every  means  in  their  power  the  wise  and  beneficient  policy 
inaugurated  by  President  Grant,  the  Board  was  continued, 
with  but  few  changes,  as  at  first  organized,  until  1874.  Five 
years  of  trial  had  proved  this  policy  to  be  a  success  beyond  the 
anticipation  of  its  friends.  The  country  had  been  almost 
entirely  saved  from  Indian  wars.  Millions  of  money  have  been 
saved  to  the  Government  and  to  the  Indians  by  the  breaking 
up  of  rings,  the  discovery  and  prevention  of  frauds,  the  unearth 
ing  and  dismissal  of  dishonest  agents,  the  scrutiny  of  contracts 
and  accounts,  and  in  many  other  ways.  It  is  a  cause  of  grati 
fication  to  the  friends  of  the  deceased  members,  as  it  is  doubt 
less  also  to  the  survivors  of  the  original  Board,  that  their 
recommendations  have  in  the  main  been  adopted  as  the  avowed 
policy  of  successive  Administrations.  Humane  and  just  treat 
ment  of  the  Indians,  no  more  making  and  breaking  of  treaties, 
education  and  industrial  training  in  schools,  individual  owner 
ship  of  lands,  the  protection  of  civil  law  and  amenability  to  its 


THE    ABORIGINES.  269 

requirements,  and  the  rights  of  citizenship  as  soon  as  they  can 
be  prepared  for  it,  are  now  demanded  by  the  general  public 
sentiment  of  the  country  as  the  solution  of  the  Indian  problem." 

Mr.  Dodge  withdrew  from  the  Commission  partly 
because  he  could  not  permanently  bestow  the  labor 
required,  but  chiefly  because  an  unsympathetic  Secre 
tary  of  the  Interior,  who  held  a  kind  of  veto,  exerted 
himself  to  thwart  the  efforts  of  the  Board,  while  favor 
ing  the  old  Indian  ring,  enraged  by  the  loss  of  their 
wonted  plunder.  His  interest  in  the  cause,  however, 
did  not  lapse.  He  watched  eagerly,  aided  liberally, 
the  efforts  being  made  to  educate  Indian  boys  and 
girls,  particularly  those  at  "  Hampton  "  and  "  Car 
lisle."  And  he  felt  persuaded  that  he  had  witnessed 
the  dawn  of  a  happier  day  for  the  red  man  and  for 
the  pale  face  ;  that  the  immemorial  policy  of  exter 
mination  h-ad  been  buried  in  the  grave  with  other 
relics  of  barbarism,  and  replaced  by  a  method  whose 
right  hand  was  the  Bible  and  whose  left  hand  was  the 
primer. 

That  millenium  has  not  yet  arrived,  but  is  on  the 
way. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

EYES  AND  EARS  WIDE  OPEN. 

HAVING  gone  into  the  South,  after  the  battle  flags 
were  furled  and  the  armies  were  disbanded,  for 
philanthropy,  Mr.  Dodge  also  went  down  there  for 
business.  His  practiced  eye  discovered  both  the 
opportunity  and  the  need.  The  opportunity,  for  the 
South  was  bursting  with  the  raw  materials  of  wealth. 
The  need,  for  these  raw  materials  were  undeveloped, 
waiting  to  be  worked  up.  That  section  was  like  a 
drunken  man  in  a  brawl — dazed,  uncertain  whether 
to  continue  the  fight,  or  to  submit  and  go  to  work 
again.  Business  is  sometimes  the  truest  philanthropy. 
Who  helps  men  so  effectually  as  he  who  teaches  them 
how  to  earn  an  honest  livelihood  ?  Who  shall  contra 
dict  the  saying  of  Adam  Smith,  the  English  Econo 
mist  :  "  He  is  a  public  benefactor  who  makes  two 
blades  of  grass  grow  where  but  one  grew  before  ? " 
This  the  industrious  and  intelligent  man  does. 
Wherever  such  an  one  goes,  though  it  be  to  barren 
waste  or  pestilential  morass,  health  and  abundance 
follow,  if  any  regard  for  the  common  weal  sanctifies 
the  civilization.  Those  divinities  whom  the  ancients 
worshipped — Ceres,  Pomona,  Flora,  who  strewed  the 
earth  with  grains,  fruits,  flowers,  have  in  modern 
times  domiciled  themselves  among  men,  and  have 


EYES    AND    EARS    WIDE    OPEN.  271 

exchanged  their  divine  titles  for  plain  professors  of 
chemistry,  and  we  now  call  them  agriculturists  and 
'horticulturists. 

Realizing  that  the  perishing  requirement,  inabusi- 
.iess  way,  of  the  South  was  capital,  and  a  vigorous  hand 
lo  rub  it  in,  the  Cliff  Street  merchant  selected  the  Em 
pire  State  of  Dixie,  Georgia,  as  his  field  of  operations, 
and  expended  large  sums  in  the  purchase  and  working 
of  yellow  pine  lands.  He  erected  a  spacious  saw-mill 
on  St.  Simon's  Island,  near  the  town  of  Brunswick, 
which  was  a  port  of  entry  and  the  county  capital. 
Back  of  this  site,  away  and  away,  loomed  the  giants 
of  the  forest.  Soon  a  humming  village  grew  up  in 
that  wilderness,  with  its  trim  church,  its  school-house 
filled  with  the  murmur  of  children,  its  rows  of  com 
fortable  houses  for  the  workmen — civilization  sawed 
out  of  pine  logs. 

The  generous  Southerners  were  quick  to  appreciate 
and  respond  to  such  practical  friendship.  They  repaid 
it  in  kind.  The  Legislature  of  Georgia,  in  1870,  set 
off  from  several  counties  the  district  in  which  most  of 
the  New  Yorker's  interests  lay,  and  created  a  new 
county,  to  be  known  as  Dodge  County,  and  sent  him 
an  authenticated  copy  of  the  enactment.  This  mark 
of  esteem  touched  Mr.  Dodge  as  few  compliments  had 
ever  done.  He  remembered  the  past.  He  got  new 
hope  for  the  future.  At  Eastman,  the  county  seat, 
he  erected,  at  his  own  expense,  a  beautiful  county- 
house  and  presented  it  to  his  namesake,  going  to 
Georgia  in  person  to  make  the  presentation.  We  clip 
from  a  Macon  journal  a  notice  of  the  event : 

"  The  Court-room  was  crowded  with  people  from  all  parts  of 
the  county,  and  Mr.  Dodge  made  an  address,  in  which,  after 


272  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

acknowledging  in  graceful  terms  the  honor  done  him,  he  spoke  at 
length  of  the  resources  and  advantages  possessed  by  the  people 
of  Georgia  over  most  other  portions  of  the  United  States — the 
mild  climate,  particularly  salubrious  in  the  pine  woods  district ; 
the  fertile  soil,  capable  of  high  cultivation  ;  the  variety  of  pro 
ductions  and  industries  ;  the  proximity  to  the  seaboard,  and 
other  favorable  features  ;  all  of  which  argued  that  the  day  was 
not  far  distant  when  immigration  would  set  in  from  the  North 
and  from  Europe,  and  Georgia,  with  her  sister  States,  would 
become  prosperous  and  powerful  beyond  any  present  con 
ception." 

It  used  to  be  said  of  Mr.  Dodge  that  he  rode  hobby 
horses.  Perhaps  he  did.  Men  who  accomplish  much 
do.  At  any  rate,  it  cannot  be  charged  that  he  rode 
one  to  the  exclusion  of  the  rest.  The  stalls  in  his 
stables  were  full  of  them.  He  exercised  them  all. 
And  it  is  noticeable  that  every  one  travelled  in  the 
direction  of  the  public  good.  Now,  for  example, 
while  he  was  aiding  in  the  development  of  the  new 
South,  he  was  likewise  keeping  a  sharp  eye  upon  the 
free  schools  in  his  own  city.  Revalued  these  schools. 
They  meant  so  much,  did  so  much.  They  meant 
common  intelligence — the  basis  of  Republican  insti 
tutions.  They  rubbed  prejudices  of  race  and  creed, 
and  narrow  class  conceits  out  of  their  scholars  at  the 
plastic  age,  and  made  sturdy  merit  the  test  of  stand 
ing.  This  they  did.  Supplementing  the  narrow 
means  at  home,  the  fundamentals  of  education  were 
secured  to  every  boy  and  every  girl  in  the  com 
munity. 

Millions  were  annually  spent  and  wisely  spent  upon 
these  schools.  Politicians  were  always  prowling 
around  these  moneys,  itching  to  finger  them.  A  cen 
tralized  Church  hated  the  system  just  because  it 


EYES  AND  EARS  WIDE  OPEN.  273 

inevitably  educated  the  young  out  of  superstition  and 
into  independent  thought  and  action.  Now  and 
again  the  Pilate  of  politics  and  the  Herod  of  Roman 
ism  would  agree  to  crucify  the  free  schools.  This 
was  the  case  in  1870.  Up  at  Albany  adverse  legisla 
tion  was  pending.  A  mass-meeting  was  held  in 
Cooper  Union  Hall  to  cry  check-mate — and  did  so. 
The  venerable  and  venerated  Peter  Cooper  presided. 
Mr.  Dodge  was  one  of  the  speakers.  His  remarks 
explain  the  situation  : 

"  It  is  the  glory  of  our  land  that  here  every  man  and  every  sect 
may  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  con 
science.  All  their  ecclesiastical  affairs  may  be  managed  as 
they  please,  provided  they  do  not  infringe  upon  the  rights  of  any 
other  sect  or  people,  nor  insist  upon  special  privileges  in  a  way 
to  interfere  with  the  system  intended  for  the  good  of  all.  There 
is  no  disguising  the  fact  that  we  have  in  our  midst  a  sectarian 
element,  which  in  all  its  past  history  has  been  opposed  to  the 
education  and  elevation  of  the  masses,  and  which  claims  to  be 
the  true  and  only  representative  of  the  religion  of  our  Saviour. 
The  great  body  of  its  adherents  have  come  to  this  country  to 
escape  the  oppression  and  poverty  of  the  old  ;  but  they  still 
acknowledge  ultimate  responsibility  and  allegiance,  temporal 
and  spiritual,  to  a  foreign  power.  Ignorant  and  superstitious, 
trained  to  rely  implicitly  on  their  religious  advisers,  with  little 
or  no  appreciation  of  our  form  of  government,  they  are  yet,  in  a 
short  time,  admitted  to  all  the  rights  of  American  citizenship. 
Now,  if  these  persons,  taken  into  partnership  with  us  in  this 
noble  inheritance,  purchased  for  us  by  the  toil,  blood  and 
treasure  of  our  fathers,  would  become  truly  American,  there 
would  be  less  danger ;  but  we  all  know  that  the  Catholics  in 
the  United  States  are  an  actual  part  of  the  great  Papal  power, 
with  its  center  at  Rome,  and,  whatever  they  may  claim  as 
Americans,  they  are  the  subjects  of  the  Pope,  and  through  their 
priests  are  bound  with  chains  stronger  than  iron  to  the  dictates 


274  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

of  a  foreign  power  always  antagonistic  to  the  principles  of  our 
popular  government  and  popular  education.     We  have  only  to 
look  at  Spain,   Italy  and  Mexico,  to  see  what  America  would 
be — and  will  be — if  they  can  succeed  in  destroying  our  common 
schools.     We  welcome  them  to  all  the  privileges  of  our  free  and 
happy  country.     We  throw  around  them  the  protection  of  our 
laws.     We  offer  them  a  liberal  portion  of  our  landed  inheri 
tance  without  money  or   price.     We   agree   to   educate  their 
children   free  of   cost,  and  to  give  them  facilities  our  fathers 
never  dreamed  of.     We  wish  to  train  them  in  Christian  mo 
rality,  to  cultivate  in  them  a  sacred  regard  for  justice  and  love 
of  country,   to   instil   into   their    minds  the  grand  and  liberal 
principles  upon  which  our  institutions  are  founded.     We  would 
instruct   them   in    frugality,    industry,    temperance,    and    the 
universally  binding  moral  law  of  the  Scripture.     But  they  say, 
'  No  !     You  teach  our  children  the  Bible,  you  allow  them  to  read 
history,  which  may  tell  them  what  we  do  not  wish  them  to  know. 
You  do  not  give  a  "  religious  education."     What  we  want  is  to 
have  our  children  trained  according  to  the  dogmas  of  our  own 
church,  so  that  we  can  make  them  as  good  subjects  of  a  for 
eign  power  as  if  they  had  been  born  there  ;  so  that  we  can  hold 
all  our  people  by  the  strong  hand  of  sectarian  influence.     We 
demand,  therefore,  that  all  other   sects  shall  be  taxed  to  sup 
port  our  church  schools.'     If  we  should  offer  to  substitute  the 
Douay  Bible,  it  would  be  no  more  acceptable,  unless  we  should 
allow  Catholic  priests  to  teach  it,  and  with  it  the  tenets  of  their 
church.     No  !     It  is  the  influence  of  our  public  schools  and 
their  democratic  features,  free  from  sectarian  bias  ;  it  is  the  mix 
ing  of  their  children  with  ours— the  tendency  of  these  schools 
to  promote  the  true  type  of  American  character,  and  the  proba 
bility  that  children  sent  to  them  will  break  loose  from  ecclesi 
astical  authority  ;  this  is  what  they  fear.     They  know,  more 
over,  the  advantage  of  holding  their  people  in  one  mass,  and 
being  able  to  offer  them  to  whichever  political  party  shall  do 
most  for  them  as  a  sect.     They  make  no  secret  of  their  power 
in  public  affairs.     It  is  triumphant  in  our  city,  and  they  do  not 
hesitate  to  boast  that  in  fifty  years  they  will  secure  in  the  entire 


EYES    AND    EARS    WIDE    OPEN.  275 

country  what  they  have  gained  here.  They  understand  how 
and  when  to  use  their  influence.  We  are  met  to  see  if  anything 
can  be  done  to  arouse  the  city,  the  State,  and  the  whole  land  to 
appreciate  the  danger,  and  if  possible,  to  avert  it.  Shall  we 
allow  our  noble  system  of  free  schools,  supported  by  all,  and  for 
the  education  of  all,  to  be  destroyed  ?  This  is  the  issue.  Once 
let  Roman  Catholics  have  a  portion  of  our  fund  raised  by  gen 
eral  tax  to  sustain  their  sectarian  schools,  and  every,  sect  may 
demand  the  same." 

The  globe,  like  the  back  of  a  man's  head,  is  a  gan 
glion  of  nerves.  Interests  are  no  longer  national,  but 
international.  Our  war  showed  this.  The  Franco- 
Prussian  war  was  added  evidence.  Who  does  not 
remember,  who  can  ever  forget  that  war  ?  Its  cr.use  in 
the  vanity  of  Napoleon  III.?  Its  progress  paved  with 
French  defeats?  Its  denoument  in  the  total  discom 
fiture  of  one  nation,  and  in  the  rise  of  another,  trans 
formed  from  a  huddle  of  principalities  into  the 
dominating  empire  of  Europe? 

Prostrate  France  sent  a  wail  of  distress  across  the 
water.  She  was  in  the  condition  of  the  South  at  the 
close  of  the  rebellion — threatened  with  famine.  She 
had  not  behaved  like  herself  during  our  struggle,  or 
rather  her  Emperor,  fearing  the  success  oi  free  insti 
tutions,  had  schemed  to  our  disadvantage.  No 
matter.  France  was  now  starving.  In  1871  Mr. 
Dodge,  representing  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Com 
merce,  addressed  the  Corn  Exchange  in  advocacy  of 
a  plan  of  relief  : 

"  We  will  not  stop  to  consider  the  folly  or  responsibility  of 
France  in  provoking  and  bringing  upon  herself  this  fearful 
result.  Our  duty  is  simple  and  clear.  We  have  food,  they  are 
starving ;  and  at  such  a  time,  forgetting  her  position  in  our  late 


276  Wli^iAAl    E. 

struggle  for  national  unity,  we  may  go  back  to  that  earlier  war 
for  our  national  independence,  and  remember  how  manfully 
France  stood  by  us,  and  gave  us  arms  and  men,  and  better  than 
that,  her  hearty  sympathy  and  encouragement.  Yes  ;  we  owe 
her  a  debt  of  gratitude,  which,  I  trust,  in  her  hour  of  need,  we 
shall  not  be  slow  to  repay." 

Immediate  shipments  were  made.     The  most  needy 
sufferers  were  relieved. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DOINGS   AND   SAYINGS   ABROAD    AND    AT    HOME. 

THOSE  vessels  which  sailed  away  to  France  cargoed 
with  fraternity  in  the  practical  shape  of  food  and 
clothing  for  the  hungry  and  naked  victims  of  war, 
were  soon  followed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  in  person. 
They  went  abroad  on  this  occasion  partly  drawn  by 
commercial  and  social  bonds,  but  mainly  for  the 
purpose  of  realizing  a  wish  long  felt — that  of  visiting 
Egypt  and  the  Holy  Land.  Landing  at  Liverpool 
they  proceeded  thence  down  the  Mediterranean  to 
Alexandria.  Here  they  were  in  the  primeval  East. 
From  Cairo  they  rode  out  to  gaze  at  the  Pyramids, 
from  whose  grey  summits  forty  centuries  looked  down 
upon  them,  as  upon  Napoleon  when  he  battled  with 
the  fierce  Mamalukes  under  their  grim  shadows. 
Pilgrims  from  a  land  which  slept  behind  the  veil  of 
impenetrable  waters  for  thousands  of  years  after  the 
Pharaohs  were  gathered  to  their  fathers,  they  mused 
upon  the  vicissitudes  of  human  life  as  they  rode  over 
the  blistering  sands,  or  crossed  the  turbid  flood  of 
the  historic  Nile,  where  Moses  was  hidden  from  the 
inquisitive  tyrant,  and  thanked  God  devoutly  that 
they  came  from  a  land  where  knowledge  was  a 
common  birthright,  and  not  a  prerogative  of  royalty 
and  priestcraft,  as  it  had  been  here,  until  Cambyses 
came  down  from  Persia  and  thundered  across  Egypt, 
trampling  it  out  beneath  his  horse's  hoofs  from 


278  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

battered  palace  and  crumbling  convent  into  the  light 
of  day. 

From  Egypt  they  proceeded  to  Palestine.  What 
joy  to  place  their  reverent  feet  in  the  steps  of  thunder- 
robed  old  prophets,  to  companion  in  thought  with  the 
apostles  right  here  where  they  mended  their  nets 
beside  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  or  where  they  planted  the 
Mother  Church  of  Christendom  in  Jerusalem,  and, 
best  of  all,  to  be  near  the  scenes  immortalized  by 
Jesus  himself — Bethlehem,  where  he  was  born  ;  Naza 
reth,  where  he  was  trained  ;  Capernaum,  where  he 
resided  after  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  ;  Bethany, 
where  he  was  wont  to  sit  with  Mary,  Martha,  Lazarus, 
interchanging  experiences  with  the  dear  trio  ;  and 
Calvary,  where  he  opened  his  arms  to  enfold  the 
world  ! 

They  went  from  Palestine  to  Beirut,  Syria,  to*visit 
their  son,  the  Rev.  D.  Stuart  Dodge,  who  was  an 
honored  and  useful  professor  in  the  Syrian  Protestant 
College.  Here,  with  his  son  at  his  side,  wrhile  the 
mother  also  was  just  at  hand,  Mr.  Dodge  laid  the 
corner-stone  of  a  new  collegiate  building — a  structure 
which  his  contributions  had  helped  to  make  possible. 

Returning  by  easy  stages  to  Europe,  the  husband 
and  wife  stopped  in  Berlin,  where  they  received 
special  attentions  from  the  United  States  Minister  to 
Germany,  the  Hon.  George  Bancroft,  patriarch  of 
American  letters  ;  and  in  Vienna,  where  the  Hon. 
John  Jay.  our  Austrian  Ambassador,  gave  them  a 
hospitable  welcome.  At  Rome  they  were  present  at 
the  famous  dinner,  still  talked  of,  which  Mr.  Cyrus 
W.  Field  gave  to  the  International  Telegraphic 
Conference. 


DOINGS    AND  SAYINGS  ABROAD  AND  AT  HOME.       279 

At  this  period  certain  Russian  Christians  were 
being  persecuted  in  the  Baltic  provinces.  Mr.  Dodge 
acted  as  one  of  the  American  delegates  of  the  Evan 
gelical  Alliance  to  petition  the  Czar  for  their  relief. 
His  Russian  majesty  was  now  visiting  Germany, 
tarrying  at  Friedrichshafen.  He  did  not  accord  the 
delegation  a  personal  interview,  but  accredited  his 
prime  minister,  Prince  Gortschakoff,  to  receive  the 
appeal.  Garbled  accounts  of  this  interview  were 
cabled  to  the  United  States.  In  a  letter  written  from 
Paris  on  the  i5th  of  August,  1871,  to  his  life-long 
friend,  the  Rev.  Irenaeus  Prime,  D.D.,  the  editor  of 
the  New  York  Observer,  and  published  by  that  corre 
spondent  in  his  journal,  Mr.  Dodge  corrected  these 
misstatements,  and  gave  an  inside  view  of  what  was 
said  and  done.  We  quote  : 

"  In  your  issue  of  the  2oth  ultimo,  I  regret  to  find  you  have 
been  misinformed  by  the  telegraphic  reports  in  reference  to 
what  took  place  at  our  interview  with  Prince  Gortschakoff,  and 
I  am  confident  serious  injury  to  the  cause  we  advocated  will 
result  if  these  statements  remain  uncorrected. 

"  It  is  there  stated  that  the  Imperial  Chancellor  expressed 
the  sympathy  of  his  sovereign  with  the  object  of  the  petition, 
and  said  that  on  his  return  to  St.  Petersburg  the  Czar  would 
attend  to  the  request  of  the  deputation,  and  introduce  religious 
reforms  throughout  Russia,  and  that  Protestants  should  be 
placed  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  members  of  the  Greek 
Orthodox  Church,  by  the  repeal  of  the  coercive  laws  existing 
against  them. 

"  I  am  sure  this  will  strike  all  who  were  present  as  an  unfor 
tunate  statement  of  what  actually  occurred.  We  were  received 
in  a  familiar,  conversational  manner,  with  the  distinct  under 
standing  on  the  part  of  the  minister  that  the  interview  was  not 
to  be  considered  official.  We  remained  more  than  an  hour, 


280  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

and  were  treated  with  extreme  politeness ;  but  the  skill  of  the 
experienced  diplomatist  was  shown  in  the  reserve  of  the  Chan 
cellor.  He  heard  all  we  desired  to  offer,  but  did  not  commit 
himself  or  his  sovereign  to  anything  further  than  that  he  would 
present  our  views  fairly.  He  was  most  careful  to  say  that,  in 
his  opinion,  no  government  in  the  world  was  more  tolerant 
than  Russia ;  not  only  were  all  religions  permitted,  but  the 
State  paid  for  their  support,  as  it  does  in  the  case  of  the  Greek 
Church.  He  wished  it  understood,  however,  that  the  Emperor 
could  not  for  a  moment  admit  of  interference  ;  whatever  he  did 
must  be  the  result  of  his  own  wise  judgment.  The  laws  were 
still  in  force  which  forbid  the  return  to  the  Protestant  faith  of 
any  who  have  once  joined  the  Greek  Church  ;  but  all  who  are 
Protestant  have  every  liberty. 

"  In  these  and  other  remarks  during  the  interview,  Prince 
Gortschakoff  made  no  statement  such  as  the  telegraph  reports 
have  led  you  to  suppose. 

"  I  may  add  that  while  we  did  not  secure  all  we  asked  and 
desired,  we  did  come  away  with  strong  conviction  that  much 
good  might  result  from  this  interview  ;  but  if  erroneous  accounts 
of  the  occasion  are  circulated,  and  find  their  way  back  to 
Russia — as  they  undoubtedly  will — any  favorable  results  will  be 
greatly  hindered." 

The  outcome  of  this  intervention  was  alleviation, 
but  not  the  complete  religious  liberty  for  which  the 
delegation  asked.  Despots  never  like  to  concede 
liberty,  even  of  conscience — it  might  prove  contagious  ! 

In  England,  the  New  Yorker  and  his  wife  were  the 
recipients  of  marked  social  favors.  The  United  King 
dom  Alliance  entertained  them  at  breakfast  (an 
English  institution),  after  which  Mr.  Dodge  gave  a 
detailed  report  of  the  progress  of  temperance  in 
America.  At  Richmond,  the  British  branch  of  the 
Evangelical  Alliance  tendered  them  a  dinner,  (a  uni 
versal  institution),  with  the  President,  the  Earl  of 


DOINGS  AND  SAYINGS  ABROAD  AND  AT  HOME.         281 

Chichester,  in  the  chair.  They  also  spent  three  or 
four  charming  days  at  Croyden,  in  Buckinghamshire, 
the  superb  country-seat  of  Sir  Harry  Verney. 

The  Americans  reached  New  York,  pleasantly  tired 
with  sight-seeing,  in  the  spring  of  1872,  after  the 
longest  and  most  extensive  of  their  trips  abroad. 
What  they  specially  admired  over  there  was  the  man 
ner  in  which  British  Christians  avowed  their  princi 
ples.  They  were  aggressive.  Ladies  distributed 
tracts  while  riding  on  top  of  a  stage-coach.  En 
gineers  hung  up  religious  mottoes  in  the  engine 
room  of  steamboats.  In  London,  Liverpool,  Man 
chester,  Glasgow,  young  men  patrolled  the  sidewalks 
on  Sunday,  and  invited  pedestrians  to  adjacent 
churches.  Since  it  is  now  the  fashion  for  our  golden 
youth  to  imitate  English  styles,  and  to  nurse  the 
head  of  a  cane  with  the  remark,  "  It's  English,  you 
know  ! "  why  not,  they  thought,  carry  the  fashion  to 
the  extent  of  imitating  the  brave  Christian  propa 
ganda  of  the  tight  little  island  ?  But  fashion  is  too 
insane  for  that  ! 

The  first  Presidential  term  of  General  Grant  was 
about  to  end.  An  election  would  be  held  in  Novem 
ber,  1872.  It  was  the  well-nigh  unanimous  wish  of 
the  North  that  Grant  should  succeed  himself.  A 
laughable  coalition  had  been  formed  against  him,  and 
was  headed  by  Mr.  Horace  Greeley,  aided  by  several 
eminent  and  respectable  Republicans,  disgruntled 
with  or  without  reason.  Mr.  Greeley  had  been  a  bit 
ter  and  formidable  opponent  of  the  Democratic  party 
from  the  commencement  of  his  public  life  ;  as  also 
had  been  his  coadjutors  in  this  singular  campaign. 
Yet  that  party  irave  him  its  nomination  for  the  Pres: 


282  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

dency,  and  ate  crow  with  a  wry  face  through  all  the 
months  of  the  most  absurd  canvass  ever  known  in 
our  politics.  A  mass-meeting  of  business  men  was 
held  in  the  Cooper  Union  Hall  in  the  spring  of  1872, 
just  after  Mr.  Dodge's  return  from  Europe,  and  hu 
was  among  the  speakers.  He  said,  in  recommending 
the  renomination  of  Grant: 

"  We  are  assembled  frankly  to  express  our  impressions  in 
regard  to  the  manner  in  which  General  Grant  has  fulfilled  the 
expectations  of  the  party  which  elected  him  to  his  high  office. 
In  common  with  many  others,  I  confess  I  had  apprehensions 
that  his  previous  training  might  not  have  fitted  him  for  the 
responsibilities  of  a  position  to  which  he  was  elevated,  on 
account  of  his  success  in  leading  our  armies  to  victory.  The 
result  of  his  administration  for  three  years  has  dissipated  my 
fears.  When  has  our  country,  as  a  whole,  experienced  more 
general  prosperity  ?  When  has  our  national  credit,  at  home 
and  abroad,  stood  higher?  When  have  our  laboring-classes 
been  more  widely  employed  or  better  paid  ?  The  heavy  bur 
den  of  taxation,  made  necessary  by  the  war,  has  been  steadily- 
lessened,  and  our  stupendous  debt  itself  reduced,  to  the  aston 
ishment  of  the  nations  of  Europe.  It  could  not  have  been 
anticipated  that  the  great  social  and  political  changes  following 
the  war  would  be  adjusted  without  trouble  and  friction  at  the 
South.  That  there  has  been  more  or  less  cause  for  complaint, 
we  do  not  deny.  Yet  the  difficulties  have  mainly  been  the 
natural  result  of  this  transition  state,  and  President  Grant 
should  no  more  be  held  accountable  than  the  whole  Republi 
can  party  ;  nor  should  they  be  made  responsible  for  the  ad 
venturers  who  went  to  the  South  to  profit  by  the  chaos 
there,  and  who,  in  many  cases,  under  the  guise  of  Republi 
cans,  misled  the  freedmen  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out 
their  own  personal  ends.  It  was  only  natural  that  men  just 
emancipated  should  seek  the  counsel  and  leadership  of  others 
than  those  who  had  held  them  in  bondage  ;  nor  could  it  be  ex- 


DOINGS  AND  SAYINGS  ABROAD  AND  AT  HOME.        283 

pected  that  they  should  at  once  be  able  to  discern  the  true 
character  and  aims  of  the  unscrupulous  men  who  were  seek 
ing  to  lead  them  astray." 

Mr.  Dodge  despised  the  "  carpet-baggers,"  who  in 
the  name  of  Union  were  creating  disunion  in  the 
South  ;  and  rejoiced  when,  one  after  another,  the 
Southern  States  side-tracked  these  engineers  of  spolia 
tion.  But  he  felt  that  the  time  had  not  come  for  a 
change  of  administration — least  of  all  for  the  inau 
guration  of  the  piebald  opposition,  whose  David  was 
Greeley,  with  the  Tribune  for  a  sling.  Hence  his 
course.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republi 
can  Convention,  held  in  Philadelphia  ;  and  also  one 
of  the  New  York  Electors,  casting  as  such  his  vote 
for  Grant  and  Wilson  in  the  Electoral  College. 

But  it  was  not  the  South  alone  which  was  at  this 
time  the  feeding  ground  of  political  cormorancs. 
These  birds  of  prey  held  New  York  City  in  their 
talons,  and  were  burying  their  evil  beaks  in  the 
metropolitan  body-politic.  True,  they  were  Repub 
licans  on  the  other  side  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line, 
and  Democrats  in  the  Empire  State.  What  of  that? 
A  politician  is — a  politician  always  and  everywhere, 
with  the  same  selfish  nature  and  the  same  instinct  for 
plunder,  and  with  as  many  aliases  as  "  Dick,  the  Crib- 
cracker." 

The  head  of  the  New  York  gang  was  William  M. 
Tweed,  a  man  of  low  birth,  but  large  acquirements. 
Beginning  as  a  ward  politician,  he  pocketed  every 
thing  within  reach  in  the  way  of  offices  and  emolu 
ments,  until  one  day  he  appropriated  the  position  of 
Deputy  Street  Commissioner.  In  this  capacity  he 
formed  the  "  Tammany  Ring,"  composed  of  rascals 


284  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

like  himself,  members  of  the  political  society  called 
"  Tammany."  The  scheme  was  to  plunder  the  city 
under  the  pretext  of  "  improvement."  Streets  were 
laid  out  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  advance  of  need  ;  a 
Court-house  was  undertaken,  which  was  to  be  erected 
at  a  stipulated  cost  of  $2,500,000,  but  which  ate  up 
$8,000,000  without  being  completed  ;  and  dozens  of 
similar  "  jobs  "  were  contracted  for — railroads  to  the 
moon,  whose  New  York  terminus  was  the  pocket  of 
the  "  ring."  Contractors  for  "  ring "  work  were 
directed  to  make  out  claims  against  the  city  for  all 
manner  of  imaginable  services.  These  fraudulent 
bills  were  audited  by  Tweed,  or  his  confederates,  and 
approved.  Vast  sums  were  paid  in  this  way  out  of 
the  city  treasury,  of  which  the  "  ring  "  received  sixty- 
five  per  cent.,  Tweed's  personal  share  being  twenty- 
five  per  cent.  In  order  to  extend  and  protect  their 
schemes,  the  robbers  made  Tweed  grand  sachem  of 
"  Tammany,"  President  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors, 
and  State  Senator,  in  addition  to  the  Street  Commis- 
sionership.  He  was  thus  enabled  to  create  an  indefi 
nite  number  of  political  positions,  active  and  sine 
cure,  in  which  he  quartered  an  army  of  heelers.  He 
mastered  the  State  as  well  as  the  City  government, 
carried  a  Governor  in  his  vest  pocket,  the  legislature 
in  his  coat  pocket,  and  rattled  judges  between  his 
fingers  as  a  boy  might  a  set  of  clappers.  At  every 
turn  you  came  upon  Tweed  under  the  alias  of 
"  Mayor  Hall,"  "Comptroller  Connoly,"  or  "Com 
missioner  Sweeney."  He  was  the  get-all  and  end-all. 
This  scoundrel  became  at  last  as  swollen  in  purse  as 
in  person  (he  .  weighed  250  pounds),  and  openly 
boasted  that  he  was  worth  $20,000,000. 


DOINGS  AND  SAYINGS  ABROAD  AND  AT  HOME.         285 

The  people  were  indignant,  but,  for  awhile,  power 
less.  How  prove  the  rascalities  ?  When  they  com 
plained,  Tweed  snapped  his  pudgy  fingers  and  cried  : 
"  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?  " 

Well,  one  day  a  clerk,  employed  in  the  auditor's 
office,  stealthily  copied  the  secret  account  of  the 
''  ring "  moneys,  which  was  kept  in  the  safe  of  the 
auditor.  This  precious  document  "  gave  away  "  the 
whole  plot.  It  was  published  in  the  journals.  The 
city  was  aflame.  Public  meetings  were  held.  The 
most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  organized 
committees  to  corral  the  thieves  and  punish  them. 
It  was  a  revolution.  The  creatures  of  Tweed  who 
masqueraded  as  governors,  commissioners,  and 
judges,  were  struck  and  slain  by  the  cannon  ball  of 
public  opinion,  while  their  puffy  chief,  after  adven 
tures  which  recall  the  exploits  of  Claude  Duval, 
finally  disgorged  himself  thin,  financially  and  physi 
cally,  and  died  in  jail. 

Through  these  years  and  experiences,  Mr.  Dodge 
was  at  first  an  outraged  spectator,  and  at  last  an 
energetic  prosecutor,  of  the  "  ring."  He  acted  in  con 
junction  with  the  "  Committe  of  Seventy,"  and  stoutly 
supported  the  efforts  of  Charles  O'Conor,  the  great 
lawyer  who  unearthed  the  villany  and  convicted  the 
villains.  But  this  is  never  ending  work.  The  temp 
tation  is  omnipresent.  And  the  breaking-up  of  one 
"  ring"  is  no  sooner  forgotten  than  another  is  formed. 
"  The  difficulty  with  municipal  government,"  re 
marked  the  late  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  putting  it  in 
an  epigram,  "  is  that  there  are  too  many  heads  with 
too  little  in  them,  and  too  many  pockets  with  too 
much  in  them." 


286  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

In  the  fall  of  1873,  while  these  matters  were  yet  a 
public  scandal,  and  required  his  vigilant  attention, 
Mr.  Dodge  was  forced  to  devote  a  good  deal  of  time 
to  other  more  congenial  work.  An  International 
Convention  of  the  "Evangelical  Alliance"  was  to  be 
held  in  New  York.  As  President  of  the  American 
branch,  manifold  duties  of  preparation  devolved  upon 
him.  For  one  thing  he  was  desirous  that  the  dele 
gates  should  be  pleasantly  entertained  in  the  Christian 
houses  of  the  city.  As  these  numbered  more  than 
five  hundred,  with  above  one  hundred  from  over  the 
sea,  and  some  fifty  from  British  America,  this  was  no 
slight  task — particularly  in  New  York,  which  is  not 
noted  for  its  religious  hospitality.  Strangers  are 
often  taken  in,  but  not  agreeably.  Mrs.  Dodge  came 
to  her  husband's  rescue  on  this  occasion.  Day  after 
day  she  ransacked  the  town  for  entertainers.  Of 
course,  she  succeeded.  How  could  such  a  woman 
fail  ?  The  large  body  forming  the  "  Alliance  "  never 
before  or  since  lodged  so  delightfully,  which  suggests 
this  hint  :  Why  not  put  the  social  part  of  all  conven 
tion  work  in  the  hands  of  women?  What  men  do 
bunglingly,  they  would  do  deftly.  This  lies  in  their 
sphere. 

In  an  address  delivered  at  the  opening  of  the  con 
vention,  Mr.  Dodge,  fitly  welcomed  the  delegates,  and 
outlined  the  objects  of  the  "Alliance  :  " 

"  FELLOW  CHRISTIANS,  MEMBERS  AND  DELEGATES  :  It 
becomes  my  pleasant  duty,  as  president  of  the  American  branch 
of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  to  call  the  Conference  to  order, 
that  the  necessary  steps  may  be  taken  for  permanent  organiza 
tion. 

"  In  response  to  our  invitation  you  have  come  from  different 


DOINGS  AND  SAYINGS  ABROAD  AND  AT  HOME.        287 

parts  of  the  world  to  attend  this  General  Conference  in  a  land 
to  many  of  you  new  and  strange.  In  the  name  of  the  Ameri 
can  branch  of  the  Alliance,  I  extend  to  you  again  this  morning 
a  cordial  welcome  to  our  shores,  our  homes  and  our  hearts. 
Ye  trust  the  separation  from  beloved  friends  and  from  pressing 
duties— with  all  the  toils  and  perils  of  travel — may  find  some 
compensation  in  the  joys  of  a  Christian  fellowship  that  only 
such  an  occasion  can  afford,  and  in  the  new  and  riper  views  of 
Christian  obligation  and  privilege  which  such  discussions  as  are 
now  before  us  promise  to  unfold. 

"  To  those  who  have  crossed  the  ocean  for  the  first  time 
there  will  also  be  an  opportunity  to  become  more  intimately  and 
personally  acquainted  with  the  life  and  features  of  this  new 
world.  You  will  find  here  vast  numbers  from  your  own  lands 
who  have  come  to  adopt  this  as  a  home  for  themselves  and  for 
their  children  ;  you  will  learn  something  of  the  form  of  civil 
government,  which  distinguishes  this  from  other  countries  ;  you 
will  notice  the  various  religious  organizations  seeking  no 
support  from  the  State,  but  only  demanding  protection  in  the 
full  enjoyment .  of  religious  liberty.  You  will,  perhaps,  be 
astonished  at  the  growth  and  prosperity  which  have  been 
attained  in  so  short  a  time.  The  population  of  this  city  in 
which  we  have  convened  has,  within  the  life  of  men  now  upon 
this  floor,  grown  from  seventy  thousand  to  nearly  a  million, 
while  the  United  States  has  increased  from  six  to  forty  millions. 

"  Americans  who  travel  abroad  gaze  with  interest  upon  the 
growth  of  centuries — ancient  cathedrals,  castles  and  cities  of 
historic  fame  ;  here  we  can  only  point  you  to  what  has  been 
accomplished  chiefly  during  a  single  century.  We  hope  many 
of  you  may  visit  our  Western  States,  cross  the  great  inland 
seas,  and  witness  for  yourselves  the  marvelous  changes  in 
progress  there. 

"  We  meet  as  Christian  brethren,  and  laying  aside  for  the 
time  distinctions  which  separate  us  into  sects  and  parties,  we 
rejoice  to  greet  each  other  as  children  of  a  Common  Father, 
assembled  to  deliberate  upon  the  mighty  concerns  of  His 
kingdom,  and  to  consider  how  we  can  best  promote  the  great 


288  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

principles  that  bind  us  and  all  true  believers  together.  The 
topics  to  be  discussed  are  most  timely  and  important,  and  we 
trust  that  the  conclusions  reached  will  fully  vindicate  the  wisdom 
of  convening  such  a  body  of  men.  Permit  me  to  remind  you 
that  the  summoning  of  this  Conference,  composed  of  represent 
atives  from  almost  every  land,  and  well-nigh  every  department 
of  Christian  thought  and  activity,  has  awakened  wide  interest 
in  our  own  country,  and,  I  doubt  not,  in  other  lands. 

"  The  eyes  of  God  and  of  men  are  watching  us.  Let  us  enter 
upon  our  duties  with  a  deep  sense  of  our  entire  dependence 
upon  that  wisdom  which  is  from  above,  and  with  earnest 
prayer  that  the  Divine  Spirit  will  £uide  all  our  deliberations. 
Animated  with  such  feelings,  and  blessed  with  such  aid,  it 
cannot  but  be  that  our  assembling  shall  redound  to  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  welfare  'of  our  fellow  men.  Ytars  hence  it  may 
be  one  of  the  happiest  memories  we  shall  cherish,  that  we 
were  permitted  to  have  even  a  humble  part  in  the  proceedings 
and  decisions  of  this  Sixth  General  Conference  of  the  Evan 
gelical  Alliance.  May  it  do  much  towards  preparing  the  way 
for  the  relief  of  those  still  persecuted,  for  righteousness'  sake, 
in  the  various  portions  of  the  globe  ;  may  it  give  an  impulse  to 
the  growth  of  religious  liberty  everywhere,  and  may  it  bind 
together  Christians  of  every  name  more  closely,  and  help  also 
to  strengthen  the  growing  sentiment  in  favor  of  arbitration  in 
the  settlement  of  international  difficulties,  and  lift  up  among 
all  people  a  victorious  standard  in  the  face  of  modern  scepti 
cism,  rationalism,  the  claims  of  the  Papacy  and  every  other 
false  system." 

"  Dodge  Hall  "  was  as  full  of  good  things  during 
the  Conference  as  a  turkey  on  Thanksgiving  Day. 
The  house  was  largely  given  up  to  guests,  and  became 
(what  it  was  quite  in  the  habit  of  being)  a  free  hotel. 
European  celebrities  abounded — gentlemen  whom  the 
Dodges  had  met  abroad,  like  Sir  Charles  Reed,  M.P., 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Stoughton,  honored  alike  as  a 


DOINGS  AND  SAYINGS  ABROAD  AND  AT   HOME.         289 

writer  and  a  preacher.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  opened 
their  doors  on  one  memorable  evening  to  the 
"  Alliance,"  and  received  their  guests  to  the  number 
of  eight  hundred.  The  scene  recalled  the  day  of 
Pentecost.  Here  were  "  Parthians,  and  Medes,  and 
Elamites,  and  the  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,  and  in 
Judea,  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus,  and  Asia,  Phry- 
gia,  and  Pamphylia,  in  Egypt,  and  the  parts  of  Libya 
about  Cyrene,  and  strangers  of  Rome,  Jews  and 
proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians  " — all  speaking  of  the 
wonderful  works  of  God. 

In  the  midst  of  this  orderly  confusion,  with  the  har 
monious  jangle  of  these  cosmopolitan  voices  ringing 
through  the  rooms,  some  one  remarked  to  Mr.  Dodge 
that  he  had  stayed  his  roof  up  with  all  the  pillars  of 
the  church.  "  Yes,"  was  the  quick  retort ;  "  but  I 
agree  with  my  friend,  Mr.  Moody,  '  that  the  church 
has  too  many  pillars — we  want  more  lights  ! ' ' 

While  these  events  were  transpirifig,  and  for  months 
afterwards  the  envied  merchant  was  stretched  upon 
the  rack  and  undergoing  torture  as  truly  as  though 
he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  medieval  inquisitors. 
His  commercial  reputation  had  been  flawless  for  half 
a  century  of  business  life.  The  house  of  which  he 
was  now  the  head  had  gone  through  crisis  after  crisis 
and  come  out  like  Bayard,  "  without  fear  and  without 
reproach."  Early  in  1873  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  were 
charged  with  fraudulent  dealing.  How  ?  Why  ? 

The  charge  arose  from  certain  revenue  regulations. 
Without  going  into  an  analysis  of  dry  laws,  or  encum 
bering  these  pages  with  technicalities,  suffice  it  to  say, 
that  all  importations  were  ordered  by  the  United 
States  Government  to  be  invoiced  (an  invoice  is  a 


290  WIT.LIAM    E.    DODGE. 

written  account  of  the  various  items  of  merchandise 
delivered)  at  the  cost  price.  They  were  likewise  to 
be  sworn  to  before  the  American  Consul  at  the  port 
of  departure  as  at  exact  market  value  when  the  vessel 
carrying  them  weighed  anchor.  On  reaching  this 
country  these  two  prices,  the  one  in  the  invoice  and 
the  other  in  the  sworn  statement,  were  compared.  If 
they  agreed,  well  and  good,  if  they  disagreed  in  the 
smallest  item,  the  whole  cargo  was  subject  to  con 
fiscation.  The  owners  lost  the  whole,  beside  incur 
ring  the  odium  of  an  attempted  swindle. 

Now,  here  was  the  difficulty.  All  large  importers 
contracted  for  their  goods  months  before  they  were 
shipped.  Market  values  were  constantly  changing. 
How,  then,  could  importers  be  sure  of  an  agreement 
between  the  price  paid  and  the  price  current  on  the 
day  of  shipment  ?  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  never 
were  sure.  The  revenue  laws  went  further.  They 
ordained  that  one-half  of  the  value  of  the  cargo 
should  be  divided  pro  rata  between  the  informer  and 
the  Custom  House  Nabobs.  Thus  it  was  made  to  the 
advantage  for  every  clerk  to  be  a  spy  upon  his 
employer.  And  it  meant  a  fortune  to  the  Collector 
as  often  as  an  importer  was  mulcted.  In  this  state  of 
affairs  the  government  was  put  in  the  position  of 
bribing  clerks  to  betray  those  who  paid  their  wages, 
and  the  Custom  House  officials  were  enriched  as 
many  times  over  as  they  might  interrupt  a  cargo. 
This  system,  human  nature  being  what  it  is,  provoked 
fraud,  and  paid  a  bounty  on  blackmail.  Perhaps  the 
importer  knew  nothing  about  the  matter,  which  was 
in  the  hands  of  his  subordinates.  He  might  be 
entirely  innocent  of  any  purpose  to  defraud.  A 


DOINGS  AND  SAYINGS  ABROAD  AND  AT  HOME.         29! 

marked  change  in  values  might  have  taken  place  be 
tween  the  buying  and  the  shipping  price.  No  matter. 
If  the  invoice  and  the  sworn  statement  were  not  in 
absolute  accord  when  the  cargo  arrived,  if  a  rascally 
clerk  had  manipulated  the  papers  in  order  to  secure 
the  booty  of  an  informer,  look  you,  the  importation 
was  instantly  seized,  condemned,  sold  and  the  owners 
were  branded  as  swindlers  across  the  continent ! 

Well,  so  it  occurred  with  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  It 
was  alleged  that  certain  small  items  in  various  in 
voices  were  undervalued.  The  shipment  of  which 
they  formed  a  part  was  confiscated,  and  the  firm 
suffered  serious  loss  both  in  pocket  and  prestige. 

But  only  for  a  time.  See  the  value  of  character  ! 
The  well-informed  in  such  matters  scouted  the  charge. 
The  honored  firm  which  was  assailed,  scattered  the 
facts  broadcast,  asserting  and  proving  their  innocence. 
The  Boards  of  Trade  and  Chambers  of  Commerce  in 
the  great  cities,  aware  of  many  similar  cases  involving 
the  good  name  of  the  most  trustworthy  firms,  passed 
resolutions  condemning  the  revenue  laws,  and  appoint 
ing  committees  to  go  to  the  Capital  and  demand  their 
repeal.  Mr.  Dodge  himself  visited  Washington  as  .a 
member  of  the  New  York  committee,  and  made  a 
statement,  clear  as  truth,  convincing  as  sunlight, 
before  the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  of  the 
House  of  Representatives.  Many  of  those  who  heard 
him  had  been  prejudiced  in  advance,  but  saw  and 
acknowledged  their  error  when  he  was  through.  In 
1874  the  House  repealed  the  iniquitous  regulations  by 
a  unanimous  vote,  the  Senate  concurring  in  a  ballot 
equally  emphatic.  The  New  York  Chamber  of  Com 
merce  then  reflected  Mr.  Dodge  to  its  presidency  for 


292  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

the  eighth  time  ;  by  this  unprecedented  honor  putting 
upon  record  its  sense  of  his  unsullied  merchantile 
character. 

Thus  his  loss  was  a  universal  gain.  The  boomerang 
reacted  upon  the  hurlers  of  it.  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co. 
stood,  as  they  had  ever  stood,  without  a  stain. 
Throughout  this  strain  Mr.  Dodge's  behavior  was 
superb.  His  manner  was  as  easy,  his  smile  as  pleasant, 
his  voice  as  cordial,  as  though  he  were  a  stranger  to 
suffering.  Casual  observers  saw  no  difference  in  him. 
Only  his  intimates  knew  of  his  grief.  But  it  was  his 
nature  to  face  peril  without  fear.  He  thought  that 
God  had  a  purpose  in  this  trial,  and  that  when  it  was 
subserved,  He  would  vindicate  him.  The  trust  was 
well  placed  !  l 


1  This  affair  made  a  great  stir  at  the  time.  But  the  outcome  of 
it  was  as  above  related.  The  documents  in  the  case  are  all  on 
record,  and  are  open  to  the  examination  of  any  interested.  The 
Hon.  D.  A.  Wells,  late  Commissioner  of  Revenue,  made  a  de 
tailed  report,  covering  every  question  involved,  in  which  he  fully 
exhonerated  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  This,  too,  is  accessible. 


EIGHTH     DECADE 


BROKEN. 


(1875-83.       JET.    70-78.) 


CHAPTER    I. 

AT     THE     FIRESIDE. 

THE  home  life  of  William  E.  Dodge  was  singularly 
happy.  It  was  clouded,  of  course,  by  those  occa 
sional  griefs  which  are  impartial  visitors.  Outside, 
fierce  storms  often  raged.  But  within,  in  joy  or  sor 
row,  the  atmosphere  was  serene. 

He  was  an  early  riser.  After  dressing,  his  invari 
able  custom  was  to  enter  his  private  library,  an  apart 
ment  off  the  bed  room,  where  he  spent  a  half  hour  in 
devotion.  He  regarded  as  supremely  important  the 
sacred  reservation  of  stated  hours,  and,  if  possible, 
places,  for  these  seasons  of  communion  with  the 
unseen  Eternal.  Thence  he  descended  to  the  com 
mon  library,  a  spacious  room  on  the  first  floor,  and  led 
the  entire  household,  servants  included,  at  the  family 
altar.  Breakfast  was  served  at  eight  o'clock.  From 
the  table  he  went  into  the  reception  room,  to  see  such 
early  callers  as  might  be  awaiting  him — usually  appli 
cants  for  aid  of  one  sort  or  another.  Then  "good 
bye  "  was  said  for  the  day,  and  the  home  saw  him  no 
more  until  the  late  afternoon.  At  six  o'clock  he 
reappeared,  found  that  reception  room  the  Mecca  of 
a  new  batch  of  pilgrims,  to  whom  he  gave  his  ear, 
and  if  possible  his  aid,  and  then  sat  down  to  dinner — 
the  joyous  occasion  of  reunion  and  good  cheer.  At 
this  end  sat  the  husband  and  father,  at  that  end  the 
wife  and  mother,  on  either  side  the  sons,  with  here 
and  there  an  intermingled  guest  ;  for  rare  were  the 


296  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

days  when  "  Dodge  Hall  "  was  not  the  resting  place 
of  one  or  more  visitors.  The  great-hearted  merchant 
had  at  least  one  of  the  qualifications  of  a  bishop  :  he 
was  "given  to  hospitality."  This  meal,  like  the 
breakfast,  was  always  preceded  by  a  blessing,  asked 
and  received — for  does  not  Jesus  say,  "  Ask  and  ye 
shall  receive?"  There  is  no  condiment  with  which 
to  season  food  equal  to  a  heart-felt  grace.  Some 
times,  it  must  be  confessed,  the  dyspeptic  viands  that 
load  the  table  sadly  need  it,  aside  from  all  considera 
tion  of  the  persons  around  the  board. 

The  evenings  at  "  Dodge  Hall  "  were,  alas,  too  fre 
quently  for  the  happiness  of  all  concerned,  broken  in 
upon  by  callers  or  by  an  imperative  summons  from 
without  to  attend  a  public  gathering.  But  when  free 
to  do  so,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  gave  their  time  to  one 
another  and  to  their  children  with  hearty  satisfaction. 
He  was  the  best  of  readers  ;  she  the  best  of  listeners. 
Many  and  delightful  were  the  hours  they  passed,  the 
literary  excursions  they  took,  the  authors  they  conned, 
he  on  one  side,  she  on  the  other,  of  the  library  center 
table,  the  books  on  the  shelves  looking  their  approval. 
Before  ten  o'clock  the  household  reassembled,  even 
ing  prayers  were  offered,  and  soon  after  all  retired. 

How  poor  and  wretched  is  the  home,  however 
externally  prosperous,  though  wealth  fresco  the  ceil 
ing  and  luxury  carpet  the  floor,  and  taste  adorn  the 
pictured  walls,  and  culture  smile  from  the  library, 
and  summer  breathe  from  the  fire-place,  and  plenty 
laugh  in  the  larder — \vhere  there  is  no  God  ;  and 
which,  while  making  room  for  Oriental  voluptuous 
ness,  can  spare  no  space  for  the  family  altar.  How 
enviable  is  the  home,  however  hard  and  bare  with 


AT    THE    FIRESIDE.  297 

poverty,  in  which  Jesus  finds  a  welcome,  as  with 
Mary  and  Martha,  and  Lazarus,  in  Bethany  ;  and 
where,  from  parental  tones  of  reverence,  and  looks  of 
love,  and  simple  words  of  prayer,  the  children  are 
taught  piety,  as  they  are  taught  to  dress  and  eat  and 
sleep. 

Can  a  day  be  more  fittingly  begun  than  by  invok 
ing  the  blessing  of  God  to  rest  upon  its  labors,  peti 
tioning  for  the  household  bread,  praying  for  deliver 
ance  from  temptation,  and  asking  for  the  spread  of 
Gospel  life  and  light  ?  Could  it  be  more  becomingly 
ended  than  by  gathering  the  loved  ones  at  the  family 
altar,  the  duties  of  the  day  all  done,  and  with  grate 
ful  heart  and  reverent  tongue,  returning  thanks  to 
the  "  Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift,"  for  con 
tinued  life,  and  measurable  health,  for  food  and  rai 
ment,  and  things  convenient,  for  the  deliverances  and 
benefits  of  the  waking  hours  ?  What  deprivation  is 
equal  to  that  of  a  prayerless  home  ? 

But  in  "  Dodge  Hall  "  Sunday  was  the  day  of  days 
—its  coming  anticipated,  its  advent  hailed  with 
enthusiasm.  This  was  preeminently  the  family  day. 
Public  worship  was  scrupulously  attended,  and  by 
all.  After  this,  however,  hours  of  delight  remained. 
The  world  was  barred  out.  Quiet  meditation,  sober 
conversation,  marked  the  day.  The  supper  hour  was 
six  o'clock.  At  five  o'clock  the  children  were  called 
to  their  father's  side,  in  their  younger  days,  and 
taught  the  Catechism,  which  was  made  simple  and 
attractive  by  copious  explanations  and  illustrative 
anecdotes.  Then  the  Bible  was  read,  gravely,  as  the 
words  of  Eternity  let  fall  into  time  should  be.  And 
then  hymns  were  sung — "  My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee," 


298  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

"  Oh,  could  I  speak  the  Matchless  Worth,"  or  others 
as  dear,  and  always  to  familiar  tunes  ;  while  the  rich 
bass  of  the  father,  the  soprano  of  the  mother,  and  the 
children's  treble  mingled  in  harmony.  In  the  prayer 
which  followed  each  member  of  the  circle  was 
specially  remembered,  beginning  with  the  wife,  and 
so  on,  through  the  list — without  the  mention  of 
names,  but  with  sufficient  distinctness.  After  the 
evening  meal  Mr.  Dodge  retired  to  his  private  library, 
on  the  second  floor,  for  an  hour  of  personal  commun 
ion.  When  he  returned,  his  tearful  eye  but  smiling 
face  revealed  the  sweet  secret  of  his  absence,  its  what 
and  where. * 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  features  of  this  family 
life  was  the  absolute  unity  of  husband  and  wife. 
They  realized  the  conceit  of  the  poet  : 

"  Two  souls  with  but  a  single  thought  ; 
Two  hearts  that  beat  as  one." 

They  literally  shared  each  other's  life.  He  had 
no  secrets  kept  from  her.  She  hid  nothing  from 
him.  Their  mutual  confidence  was  lovely.  Even 
his  business  affairs  he  talked  over  with  her,  and 
she  helped  him  untangle  many  a  snarl.  She  con 
tributed  what  Lord  Bacon  calls  "  dry  light  " — brought 
in  a  fine  feminine  tact  and  impartiality  vastly  helpful. 
They  also  and  always  counselled  together  touch 
ing  all  topics  of  common  concern  and  family  in 
terest.  Well-meaning  and  fondly  attached  husbands 
and  wives  often  make  a  sad  mistake  in  these  regards. 
Because  they  are  preoccupied,  or  out  of  a  foolish 
notion  of  not  bothering  one  another,  they  live  apart 


1  Memorials  of  William  E.  Dodge,  p.  276. 


AT    THE    FIRESIDE.  299 

in  their  thoughts,  and  so  separate  their  lives,  besides 
depriving  each  other  of  the  brave  help  and  comfort 
which  might  come  to  both  through  candor. 

They  were  always  lovers.  He  kept  up  after  mar 
riage  those  delicate  attentions  which  were  so  delight 
ful  in  courtship.  It  was,  "  My  dear,  can  I  fetch  you 
this?"  "Can  I  do  anything  for  you  to-day  ?"  He 
observed  and  commented  upon  her  appearance,  her 
dress,  her  actions — not  critically,  but  as  a  lover 
would.  And  he  often  accompanied  her  on  her  rounds 
of  personal  shopping,  bringing  to  bear  on  her  behalf 
his  old-time  acquaintance  with  dry  goods.  She — what 
was  she  not  to  him  ?  Sweetheart,  counsellor,  com 
forter,  helper,  feet  to  run  on  willing  errands,  hands 
to  minister,  heart  to  feel,  companion  to  share — in  one 
word,  wife  ! 

Their  bearing  towards  their  children  was  equally 
exemplary.  The  little  ones  were  never  shoved  off 
upon  nurses  or  tutors,  as  though  they  had  been 
nuisances  to  be  tolerated,  but  not  associates.  They 
identified  themselves  with  their  offspring,  entered 
into  their  life,  joined  in  their  games  when  young,  and 
in  their  studies  or  employments  when  older,  descended 
to  their  level,  and  thus  led  them  up  to  their  own.  When 
the  children  attained  manhood,  they  increased  their 
watchfulness,  and  Mr.  Dodge  laid  off  upon  them  such 
business  interests  as  they  could  carry,  or  associated 
them  with  himself  in  one  or  another  of  his  diversified 
enterprises.  One  of  them  bears  this  testimony  to  his 
Christian  faithfulness  :  "  However  much  he  might  do 
for  their  happiness  in  other  respects,  they  can  never 
recall  a  time  in  the  lives  of  any  of  them  when  it  was 
not  transparently  evident  that  the  supreme  desire  of 


300  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

their  father's  heart  was  bent  upon  their  religious 
welfare.  In  every  plan  he  made  for  them,  in  all  his 
frequent  and  loving  counsels,  in  the  ordering  of  the 
family  life,  this  was  the  first  consideration." 

"  Dodge  Hall,"  as  years  passed,  came  to  be  so  well 
known,  its  hospitality  was  so  severely  taxed,  its 
inmates  were  so  run  down  by  applicants,  that  the 
heads  of  the  household  found  it  increasingly  difficult 
to  rescue  and  enjoy  what  leisure  their  health  and 
family  claims  demanded.  Accordingly,  in  1861,  Mr. 
Dodge  had  purchased  a  country  seat  on  the  Hudson, 
at  Tarrytown,  whither,  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  the  household  regularly  removed  upon  the  advent 
of  warm  weather,  and  where  they  remained  until  the 
frosts  of  autumn.  Here  life  was  freer.  Casual  visitors 
were  left  behind.  Those  whom  they  desired  to  see 
were  never  reluctant  to  make  the  pleasurable  exertion 
required  to  reach  the  spot.  Indeed,  "  Cedar  Cliff" 
(as  it  was  named)  became  as  renowned  as  "  Dodge 
Hall  "  for  its  open  doors  and  wrarm  welcome. 
Christian  friends  were  always  and  unstintedly  enter 
tained.  First  and  last,  hundreds  of  the  best  men  and 
women  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  were  among  the 
guests,  coming  with  delight  and  leaving  with  regret. 

But  in  the  home  by  the  Hudson  as  in  that  on 
Murray  Hill,  there  was  the  same  cheerful,  unaffected 
domestic  atmosphere  ;  nor  did  the  country  make  any 
change  in  the  piety  manifested  in  the  city — or  if  it 
did,  it  only  made  it  more  tonic. 

If  Mr.  Dodge  was  an  example  in  business,  a  model 
in  benevolence,  worthy  of  commendation  as  a  citizen, 
he  was  preeminently  admirable  as  a  husband  and 
father.  His  home  was  a  model. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE     GOLDEN     WEDDING. 

ON  the  24th  of  June,  1878,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  The  occasion  was 
so  unique,  the  bride  and  groom  were  so  widely  known 
and  loved  and  honored,  that  the  New  York  city  press 
gave  columns  of  reports.  From  these  we  select  the 
following  graphic  description  of  the  place,  the  scene, 
the  persons  : 

The  boom  of  guns  fired  in  the  afternoon  from  two 
yachts,  the  "  Skylark  "  and  "  Florence  Witherbee," 
lying  at  anchor  in  the  Hudson,  off  Tarrytown,  awoke 
the  inhabitants  of  that  somnolent  village  to  the  fact 
that  their  most  prominent  townsman,  Hon.  William 
E.  Dodge,  was  celebrating  with  appropriate  ceremo 
nies  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  wedding  with 
Melissa  Phelps.  For  weeks  the  approaching  festivi 
ties  had  formed  the  one  theme  of  neighborly  gossip, 
and  the  day  of  their  culmination  was  regarded  as  a 
sort  of  general  fete -day  for  the  village.  Nearly  a 
thousand  invitations  had  been  issued,  and  guests 
began  to  arrive  in  the  early  morning  from  all  parts  of 
the  country,  though  the  majority  of  them  were  from 
New  York.  The  Dodge  mansion,  with  its  spacious 
grounds,  is  high  on  the  hill-side  overlooking  the  Hud 
son,  and  half  a  mile  south  of  the  village.  The  view 


302  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

from  the  veranda  is  magnificent,  embracing  wide 
sweeps  of  the  broad  river,  and  the  blue  western  hills 
beyond.  The  grounds  are  a  happy  mingling  of  close- 
cut  lawn  dotted  with  groups  of  noble  trees,  brilliant 
beds  of  flowers,  and  smooth,  gravelled  walks  and 
driveways.  The  house  is  of  brick,  many  gabled, 
roomy  and  comfortable.  Its  chief  beauty  is  in  broad 
verandas  that  completely  encircle  it.  Yesterday  it 
was  one  mass  of  flowers  and  aromatic  evergreens 
within  and  without.  Flowers  were  everywhere  ;  they 
were  twined  into  arches  over  the  door-ways,  they  filled 
vases  and  baskets,  and  stood  in  great  fragrant  bunches 
wherever  room  could  be  found  for  them.  Many 
floral  designs  of  exquisite  taste  and  workmanship, 
appropriate  to  the  occasion,  were  scattered  about  the 
house  in  lavish  profusion.  The  verandas  without 
were  masses  of  flowers,  and  the  warm  air  was  heavy 
with  their  perfume.  Midway  down  the  long  drive, 
between  the  house  and  the  entrance  to  the  grounds  at 
the  head  of  a  tiny  lake,  was  a  triumphal  arch  of  ever 
greens,  flowers  and  flags,  under  which  all  guests 
passed  on  their  way  to  the  hospitable  mansion.  In 
immortelles,  on  either  face  of  the  arch,  were  the 
figures  1828  and  1878. 

A  similar  decoration,  wrought  in  roses,  was  over 
the  steps  leading  to  the  main  entrance  of  the  house. 
On  the  lawn  a  handsome  marquee  had  been  pitched. 
Above  the  wide  porch  was  another  cushioning  of 
green,  and  here  the  initials  of  the  old-time  bride  and 
groom  were  worked  out  in  flowers — W.  E.  D.  and  M.  P. 

The  formal  reception  hours  were  from  2  until  7  P. 
M.,  but  at  noon  the  members  of  the  family,  relatives 
and  intimate  friends  gathered  in  the  drawing-room. 


THE    GOLDEN    WEDDING.  303 

There  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  and  their  seven  sons 
with  their  families.  There  are  fourteen  grandchildren 
in  all,  but  only  nine  were  at  the  celebration.  The 
intimate  friends  present  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  M.  R.  Vin 
cent,  of  the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  Mr.  Dodge's 
pastor  ;  the  Rev.  Drs.  William  Adams  and  H.  Eaton  ; 
E.  C.  Stedman,  who  is  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Dodge  ;  Hon. 
William  Walter  Phelps  ;  Mrs.  E.  C.  Kinney,  Mr. 
Dodge's  only  surviving  sister  ;  Mrs.  James  Stokes, 
Mrs.  Charles  F.  Pond,  Norman  White  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  Egleston.  The  last  five  persons  named  were 
also  present  at  the  wedding.  Norman  White  acted  as 
groomsman. 

The  ceremonies  of  the  golden  wedding-day  began 
with  the  christening  of  the  youngest  son  of  Mr. 
Dodge's  youngest  son,  Arthur,  an  infant  only  six  or 
seven  weeks  old.  It  was  named  Murray  Witherbee, 
after  an  old  college  friend  of  its  father.  This  cere 
mony  was  performed  by  the  Rev.  D.  Stuart  Dodge,  an 
uncle  of  the  child,  the  water  being  held  in  a  silver  ves 
sel  by  another  of  the  family.  Beside  its  mother  stood 
its  grandfather,  on  her  side,  ex-Postmaster-General 
Jewell. 

The  short  but  beautiful  service  was  followed  by  an 
adjournment  to  the  dining-room,  where  a  collation 
was  spread. 

After  the  christening-breakfast  had  been  eaten,  the 
family  party  gathered  in  the  drawing-room  again. 
William  E.  Dodge,  Jr.,  being  the  eldest  son,  acted  as 
master  of  ceremonies,  and  after  a  few  words  of  con 
gratulation  to  his  father  and  mother,  asked  Dr.  Vin 
cent  to  pray  ;  and  then  William  E.  Dodge,  Sr.,  spare 
in  figure,  with  white  hair  and  whiskers,  but  erect  and 


304  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

full  of  vigor,  told  the  simple  story  of  the  wedding  of 
fifty  years  ago  : 

"  MY  DEAR  CHILDREN,  GRANDCHILDREN  AND  FRIENDS 
— We  have  invited  you  to  join  with  us  to-day  in  a  tribute  of 
thanksgiving  to  our  Heavenly  Father  for  the  special  mercy 
which  has  prolonged  our  lives  and  permitted  us  to  look  back 
upon  a  married  life  of  fifty  years. 

"  Our  song  this  morning  is — '  Bless  the  Lord,  O  our  souls,  and 
forget  not  all  his  benefits.'  '  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  have 
followed  us  all  the  days  of  our  lives.'  We  feel  that  under  God, 
we  owe  all  we  are  to  the  tender,  faithful  care  of  our  Godly 
parents,  who  from  infancy  dedicated  us  to  God,  and  by  con 
stant  Christian  watchfulness  and  prayer,  brought  us  up  in  His 
fear,  and  rejoiced  to  see  us  in  early  youth  consecrate  ourselves 
to  His  service — both  uniting  with  the  church  in  the  same  year. 

"  The  intimacy  existing  between  our  families  led  to  an  early 
acquaintance  and  interest  in  each  other,  which  ripened  into  an 
attachment  long  before  the  formal  engagement  that  resulted  in 
our  marriage  on  the  24th  of  June,  1828.  As  we  had  never  known 
any  other  attachment,  ours  was  one  of  real  affection  ;  and  we 
can  truly  say  to-day  that  however  strong  it  was  then,  these  fifty 
years  of  married  life  have  only  tended  to  increase  it  from  year  to 
year.  It  has  grown  brighter  and  brighter  to  this  golden  day. 

"  We  have  not  passed  through  these  long  years  without  our 
trials.  There  have  been  days  of  darkness  and  affliction  ;  but 
we  desire  to-day  to  record  our  testimony  to  the  goodness  of  the 
Heavenly  Father  that  he  has  never  left  nor  forsaken  us.  We 
have  always  found  the  mercy-seat  our  place  of  resort  and  refuge, 
and  God  a '  present  help  in  trouble.' 

"  And  we  say,  for  the  sake  of  our  children  and  grandchildren, 
that  from  the  beginning  of  our  married  life  we  have  always  been 
frank  and  open  between  ourselves  in  all  our  Christian  experi 
ence,  talking  freely  to  each  other,  and  often  praying  together  for 
special  blessings  upon  ourselves  and  children  ;  and  as  we  now 
look  back  we  feel  that  this  loving  Christian  confidence  has  been 
one  of  the  very  precious  features  of  our  married  life.  It  may 


THE    GOLDEN    WEDDING.  305 

also  be  proper  on  such  an  occasion  to  say  to  our  dear  descend 
ants  that  as  we  think  of  these  happy  fifty  years,  there  has  never 
been  anything  in  our  intercourse  which  to-day  leaves  a  dark 
spot  we  would  wish  to  forget.  It  has  been  a  life  of  true  devo 
tion  to  each  other,  so  that  long  since  we  have  come  to  act  and 
almost  think  as  one.  We  early  learned  to  respect  each  other's 
opinions  and  judgment,  and  to  avoid  ali  kinds  of  disputes  and 
contentions  for  our  individual  views,  consulting  together  in 
regard  to  all  matters  in  which  each  had  an  interest.  We  have 
always  watched,  even  in  little  things,  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  add 
to  each  other's  happiness,  and  never  allow  even  an  impolite  word 
or  anything  to  dampen  our  mutual  respect  and  love.  We  have 
thus  been  able  to  sympathize  with  each  other  and  bear  each 
other's  burdens ;  and  in  reviewing  the  past,  we  are  bound  in 
gratitude  to  God  to  state,  that  while  we  have  not,  as  a  general 
thing,  had  those  rapturous  seasons  of  heavenly  anticipations 
with  which  some  have  been  favored,  we  have  for  the  most  part, 
during  all  these  years,  enjoyed  a  firm  hope  and  steady  confi 
dence,  trusting  alone  to  the  mercy  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ. 
Our  daily  Bible  and  devotional  reading  have  become  more  and 
more  precious  to  us  as  each  year  has  passed  ;  and  we  have 
found  it  a  great  comfort  and  joy  to  talk  together  respecting  the 
portions  of  Scripture  we  were  reading.  Next  to  my  hope  in 
God,  the  great  blessing  of  my  life  was  the  providence  that  gave 
me  a  companion,  who,  by  her  even,  loving,  tender  disposition, 
was  just  calculated  to  meet  the  need  of  one  naturally  earnest, 
nervous  and  driving  like  myself.  Her  affectionate  interest  in 
all  that  concerns  me  has  made  life's  cares,  which  otherwise 
would  have  been  too  heavy  for  me,  comparatively  light.  I  feel 
it  due  to  her  to  say  to-day  that  in  all  these  fifty  years  not  an 
unkind  word  has  ever  been  spoken  to  me  by  my  dear  wife  ;  and 
what  I  am,  under  God,  I  owe  very  much  to  our  sweet  inter 
course  together." 

Appropriate  remarks  followed  from  the  sons. 
Anson  G.  Dodge,  of  Georgia,  who  came  North 
especially  to  attend  the  golden  wedding,  told  of  the 


3°  WILLIAM     E.     DODGE. 

affection  and  respect  with  which  the  citizens  of  that 
and  other  States  always  mentioned  his  father's  name. 
The  Rev.  D.  Stuart  Dodge  alluded  with  a  smile  to 
what  he  termed  the  mythical  story  of  the  descent  of 
the  family  from  the  royal  race  of  the  Stuarts.  He 
was  quite  willing,  he  said,  to  take  his  patent  of  royalty 
from  the  last  generation.  Turning  to  his  mother,  he 
told  a  story  of  a  little  boy,  who,  hearing  the  adage, 
"  An  honest  man  is  the  noblest  work  of  God," 
exclaimed,  "  No,  no  ;  my  mamma  is  the  noblest  work 
of  God  !  "  General  Charles  C.  Dodge  spoke  of  the 
reverence  and  affection  that  had  always  been  felt  by 
his  brothers  and  himself  towards  their  father.  He 
was  followed  by  Mr.  Arthur  Murray  Dodge  ;  and  then 
Mr.  William  E.  Dodge,  Jr.,  read  a  poem  written 
by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  C.  Kinney.  It  was  printed  in  gilt 
letters,  and  handsomely  framed.  The  writer  prayed 
in  closing  : 

"  Thus  may  such  length  of  days  be  given 
This  pair  beloved,  revered,  that  even 
Their  own  lives  rounded  this  side  of  heaven 
Complete  a  century  !  " 

Edmund  Clarence  Stedman,  the  poet,  was  the  next 
speaker.  After  adding  his  tribute  to  the  character 
and  example  of  his  uncle,  Mr.  Dodge,  he  quoted  from 
Bunyan  the  narrative  description  of  Christian  and  his 
wife.  He  said  that  with  this  as  a  text  he  had  pre 
pared  some  verses,  which  he  read  as  follows  : 

"  CHRISTIAN  AND  CHRISTIANA. 
"  Who  has  not  read — what  man  that  loved 

Good  English,  pious  speech,  and  valiant  deed — 
The  rare  old  book  in  which  John  Bunyan  proved 
His  poet's  heart  alive  beneath  his  creed  ? 


THE    GOLDEN    WEDDING.  307 

"  Who  has  not  in  his  fancy  travelled  long 

With  Christian  on  that  ancient  pilgrimage — 
Shared  all  his  fears,  and  lifted  up  the  song 
After  the  battles  it  was  his  to  wage  ? 

"  Or  with  brave  Christiana  followed  on, 

Choosing  the  path  her  lord  had  trod  before, 
Until  the  heavenly  city,  almost  won, 

Shone  like  a  dream  beyond  the  river's  shore  ? 

"  Well,  'tis  a  goodly  tale,  we  think  ;  and  close 

The  book  we  have  from  childhood  read,  and  say  : 
'  The  age  of  miracles  is  past !     Who  knows 
The  joyous  saints,  the  pilgrims  of  to-day  ?  ' 

"  '  No  light,'  we  say,  '  like  that  which  was  of  old  ! ' 

Yet  still  serenely  shine  the  midnight  stars ; 
And  there  are  wonders  left  us  to  behold 
If  we  but  think  to  look  between  the  bars. 

"  Even  now  before  our  eyes,  his  large  heart  warm 

With  the  fine  heat  that  shames  our  colder  blood, 
Stands  Christian,  in  as  true  and  living  form 
As  that  in  which  old  Bunyan's  hero  stood. 

"  Long  since  this  happy  pilgrim,  staff  in  hand, 

Set  out ;  yet  not  alone,  for  by  his  side 
Went  Christiana  also  toward  the  Land 
Anear  whose  boundaries  they  now  abide. 

"  Each  day  less  distant  from  the  City's  gate, 

Through    shade   and   sunshine,   hand    in  hand    they 

pressed ; 

Now  combating  the  foes  that  lay  in  wait, 
And  now  in  pleasant  meadows  lulled  to  rest. 


308  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

"  Early  the  Palace  Beautiful  they  found, 

Where  Prudence,  Charity  and  Faith  abide ; 
The  Lowly  Valley  little  had  to  wound 

Their  gentle  hearts  devoid  of  scorn  and  pride. 

"  The  Darker  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death 

They  passed ;  but  with  them  One  they  knew  was  near, 
Staid  by  whose  rod  and  staff  the  Psalmist  saith 
The  toiling  pilgrim  shall  no. evil  fear. 

"  And  many  seasons  afterward  they  dwelt 

In  Vanity's  great  city ;  there,  apart 
From  all  things  base  and  mean,  they  humbly  knelt 
With  prayer  upon  their  lips  and  pure  of  heart. 

"  He,  too,  has  fought  with  giants — those  that  lurk 

In  fastnesses  of  want,  despair  and  sin  ; 
By  day  and  night  he  did  his  Master's  work, 
Hoping  a  house  not  made  with  hands  to  win. 

"  And  Christian  from  the  outset  took 

Sweet  Mercy  for  a  guide  and  bosom  friend  ; 
And  sought  with  her  the  poor  in  every  nook — 
Giving  as  one  that  to  the  Lord  doth  lend. 

"  Together  thus  they  climbed  above  the  pass 
Where  from  the  Hill  Delectable  'tis  given 
To  gaze  at  moments  through  the  Shepherd's  glass, 
And  catch  a  far-off,  rapturous  glimpse  of  heaven. 

"  Sorrows  they  knew  ;  but  what  delight  was  there, 

Led  oftentimes  where  the  still  waters  flow, 
Or  in  green  pastures  guided  unaware 

To  trees  of  life  that  hung  their  fruitage  low  ! 


THE    GOLDEN    WEDDING.  309 

"  Now,  ere  the  pilgrimage  is  ended  quite, 

Its  weariness  forgot,  they  seat  them  down 
In  Beulah,  in  a  country  of  delight, 

And  rest  a  season  ere  they  wear  the  crown. 

"  Here,  after  a  half  century,  they  breathe 

Air  fresh  from  Paradise  ;  and  here  renew 
Their  wedding  vows,  while  unseen  watchers  wreathe 
O'er  each  a  chaplet,  sprayed  with  golden  dew. 

"  Blessing  and  blest,  amidst  their  household  group, 

Christian  and  Christiana  here  await 
Their  summons,  knowing  that  the  shining  troop 
Will  bear  to  each  a  token,  soon  or  late. 

"  And  we  who  gather  near — ourselves  too  blind 

To  see  undazed  the  light  of  Heaven's  grace — 
Their  well-loved  visages  behold,  and  find 
A  bright  reflected  glory  in  each  face." 

In  commemoration  of  the  day,  Mr.  Dodge  after 
wards  presented  to  his  wife  a  large  painting,  by 
Daniel  Huntington,  N.  A.,  illustrating  the  story  of 
Christiana  and  her  children. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  William  Adams,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  H. 
Eaton,  of  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  both  old  friends  and  for 
mer  pastors  of  Mr.  Dodge,  tendered  their  congratu 
lations  in  brief  speeches.  A  poem  written  by  a  neigh 
bor,  Mrs.  Bottome,  read  by  William  E.  Dodge,  Jr., 
ended  the  exercises. 

By  this  time  the  friends  from  the  city  began  to 
arrive.  They  came  by  a  special  train,  which  had  left 
New  York  an  hour  before. 


310  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

One  by  one  the  carriages  whirled  up  the  gravelled 
avenue  under  the  arch,  and  deposited  their  gayly 
dressed  loads  at  the  main  entrance  of  the  house. 
Several  hundred  persons  were  soon  scattered  about 
the  grounds  and  in  the  house.  They  were  gradually 
collected  in  the  flower-decked  drawing-rooms,  where, 
in  front  of  a  great  floral  screen  bearing  their  names 
and  the  date  of  their  wedding-day,  stood  the  happy 
pair,  in  whose  honor  the  festival  was  given. 

At  noon  the  sky  had  been  overcast,  and  rain  was 
threatening.  But  when  the  guests  arrived,  filling  the 
house  and  overflowing  through  the  broad  piazzas  into 
the  grounds,  the  clouds  had  disappeared,  the  sky  was 
blue,  and  the  sun  shone  out  brightly.  A  portion  of 
Thomas's  orchestra  sat  under  the  trees  and  furnished 
music.  Relatives,  and  the  more  intimate  friends  of 
the  family,  sufficient  to  make  a  gay  party,  remained 
through  the  early  evening  and  enjoyed  the  fireworks 
from  the  yachts,  the  illumination  of  the  groves,  and 
the  open-air  concert  of  the  band.  During  the  day 
nearly  six  hundred  guests  tendered  their  congratula 
tions  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge,  and  wished  them  long 
life  and  continued  prosperity.1 


1  By  courteous  permission  the  foregoing  account  of  the  golden 
wedding  has  been  abbreviated  from  "  Memorials  of  William  E. 
Dodge"  pp.  282-89. 


CHAPTER    III. 

TOWARDS     EVENING. 

AGE  is  a  matter  of  feeling  rather  than  of  years.  If 
a  man  feels  old,  he  is  old,  even  at  forty.  If  a  man 
feels  young  he  is  young,  even  at  seventy.  Mr.  Dodge 
both  felt  and  acted  like  one  in  middle  life,  though 
that  tell-tale  golden  wedding  babbled  the  truth.  He 
agreed  with  Holmes,  who  says  :  "  It  is  better  to  be 
seventy  years  young  than  forty  years  old."  Hence 
he  went  on  in  business,  benevolence,  Christian  duty, 
with  the  old-time  bouyancy  of  spirit.  On  public 
occasions  he  was  in  constant  demand.  As  an  after- 
dinner  talker  his  fame  increased  as  his  hair  whitened. 
An  English  M.  P.  was  in  New  York,  a  Mr.  Thomas 
Bayley  Potter,  and  a  complimentary  dinner  wras  given 
to  him.  This  was  in  November,  1879.  Mr.  Dodge 
spoke  felicitously  referring  to  the  decadance  of 
American  shipping  and  to  some  differences  between 
Mr.  Potter  and  himself  on  the  question  of  free  trade  : 

"  I  am  confident  the  visit  of  our  esteemed  friend  to  this 
country  will  promote  the  best  interests  of  both  nations,  and  I 
am  happy  that  he  has  had  the  opportunity  of  visiting  the  West 
and  seeing  for  himself  something  of  the  extent  and  capabilities 
of  this  country.  He  will  return  to  England,  I  am  sure,  with 
the  conviction  that  our  cheap  and  fertile  soil  will  enable  us  to 
produce  at  so  low  a  rate  that  it  will  be  impossible  to  continue 
much  longer  the  present  system  of  agriculture  in  Great  Britain, 
and  that  great  changes  must  ere  long  take  place  in  that  land. 
Let  me  also  say  that  I  sympathize  deeply  with  the  mortification 
of  Americans,  that  our  laws  make  us  dependent  on  other 


312  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

countries  for  the  tonnage  by  which  our  vast  products  are  sent 
over  the  ocean  ;  but  it  must  be  a  satisfaction  to  our  friends 
abroad  that,  while  they  are  under  the  necessity  of  taking  our 
surplus  food,  they  can  carry  it  away  in  their  own  vessels. 
If  I  cannot  agree  with  our  distinguished  guest  in  all  his 
views  of  free  trade,  I  am  at  least  a  strong  advocate  of  such 
modifications  of  our  laws  as  will  enable  us  to  compete  with 
other  nations  in  building  ships  for  our  own  trade ;  and  I 
believe  the  day  is  coming  when  we  shall  send  out  better, 
faster,  and  cheaper  steamers  than  any  yet  constructed.  I 
trust  the  two  countries  will  continue  to  vie  with  each  other 
in  everything  that  can  advance  their  mutual  good.  Nothing 
certainly  will  hasten  this  more  than  the  visits  of  such  men 
as  we  have  the  honor  of  entertaining  this  evening." 

But  while  sufficiently  active  in  commercial  lines, 
he  redoubled  his  efforts  (if  that  were  possible)  to  pro 
mote  the  great  causes  he  loved,  in  this  afternoon  of 
his  career.  The  condition  of  immigrants,  their  pecu 
liar  perils,  their  needs,  their  safeguard — were  subjects 
of  thought  and  solicitude  with  him.  When  any 
movement  looking  to  their  welfare  was  set  afoot  he 
was  certain  to  cooperate. 

In  the  same  general  direction,  the  organized  propa 
ganda  for  city  evangelization  commanded  his  hearty 
support.  With  the  "  City  Missions  "  Society  he  had 
been  identified  from  the  start.  Each  year  his  name 
appeared  in  the  list  of  subscribers,  and  he  secured  its 
interests  in  a  liberal  legacy..1  When  it  was  proposed 


'This  society,  under  the  energetic  superintendency  of  the  Rev. 
A.  F.  Schauffler,  D.  D.,  the  vice-president,  is  doing  a  grand  work 
for  New  York  City.  It  is  one  of  the  very  most  important  civilizcrs, 
as  well  as  Christianizers,  on  Manhattan  Island.  Let  many  imitate 
Mr.  Dodge,  and  remember  it  while  living  and  provide  for  it  when 
dead. 


TOWARDS    EVENING.  313 

to  hold  evangelistic  meetings  in  Cooper  Union  Hall 
on  Sunday  evenings,  he  at  once  countenanced  and 
aided  it.  Any  individual  struggling  up  out  of  the 
perdition  of  sin,  and  desirous  to  warn  and  rescue 
others  in  the  grip  of  Satan,  met  with  his  instant 
recognition.  There  was  Jerry  McCauley.  He  was 
for  years  and  years  a  river  thief — a  human  wharf  rat. 
At  last  he  was  converted.  He  went  to  work  among 
his  own  class,  the  most  vicious  and  abandoned  of 
either  sex.  At  first  down  in  Water  Street,  afterwards 
further  up  in  West  Thirty-second  Street,  Jerry  con 
ducted  a  mission  of  his  own.  Mr.  Dodge  stepped  to 
his  side  without  hesitation.  His  support  made  it  the 
fashion  to  help  Jerry  McCauley.  Other  wealthy  and 
distinguished  gentlemen,  bankers,  lawyers,  clergy 
men,  grouped  themselves  among  his  supporters,  paid 
his  bills  and  led  his  meetings.  It  was  one  of  the 
sights  of  New  York  to  visit  the  "  Cremorne  Mission," 
and  watch  the  converted  pirate  with  his  constituency 
of  thugs  and  magdalens  bowed  in  prayer,  or  singing 
"  Salvation  's  Free,"  while  eminent  divines,  and  well- 
known  merchants,  seated  on  the  platform,  framed  the 
picture  with  respectability. 

Repeated  reference  has  been  made  in  preceding 
chapters  to  his  regard  for  the  Sunday.  He  held  this 
to  be  the  old  Jewish  Sabbath  transferred  by  the 
authority  of  inspired  apostles  to  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  and  as,  therefore,  carrying  the  self-same  sanc 
tion  of  the  decalogue  which  hallowed  the  seventh 
day  under  the  Mosaic  dispensation.  He  viewed  with 
growing  apprehension  the  widespread  assaults  upon 
this  interval  of  sacred  time,  God's  stop  day,  made  by 
the  vast  foreign  population,  aided  by  Europeanized 


3r4  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

Americans  and  knots  of  infidels.  In  his  conception, 
a  continental  Sunday  was  imminent  in  the  United 
States.  Hence  he  bestirred  himself  to  resist  the  inno 
vation.  One  of  the  founders  of  the  railroad  system, 
connected  with  railroads  more  variously  than  almost 
any  other  man,  lie  used  his  influence  to  withhold 
them  from  Sunday  traffic.  Two  of  these  companies 
with  which  his  relations  were  most  intimate,  he  suc 
ceeded  in  stopping  on  Sunday  to  the  last,  viz.,  the 
Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western,  and  the  Houston 
and  Texas  Central.  Even  when  a  change  of  gauge 
was  necessary,  in  one  case  for  three  hundred  miles, 
in  another  case  for  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  he 
saw  to  it  that  not  a  stroke  of  work  was  done  between 
Saturday  night  and  Monday  morning.  In  cases  where 
his  protest  was  vain,  he  resolutely  drew  out  of  the 
offending  corporations,  surrendering  his  interests  and 
clearing  himself  of  all  complicity.  In  October,  1879, 
Mr.  Dodge,  at  serious  personal  inconvenience,  went  to 
Boston  to  attend  a  Sabbath  convention.  Here  he 
made  one  of  his  most  eloquent  speeches.  It  is  well 
worth  quoting  and  reading  : 

"  Railroads  have  wrought  wonders  in  the  rapid  development 
and  general  prosperity  of  our  country  during  the  last  half  cen 
tury.  They  have  become  the  great  highway  for  the  millions, 
have  vastly  increased  travel,  brought  the  distant  parts  of  the 
land  together,  given  to  commerce  a  new  impulse,  equalized 
values  of  the  soil  and  manufactory,  and  made  a  journey  of 
thousands  of  miles  scarcely  more  than  a  pleasure  trip.  They 
have  become  every  day  more  and  more  an  absolute  necessity. 

"  With  thousands  of  millions  of  dollars  invested  in  them,  and 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  our  citizens  employed  in  building 
and  running  them,  or  in  providing  their  equipment  and  sup- 


TOWARDS    EVENING.  315 

plies,  with  the  vast  number  of  stockholders  and  the  great 
travelling  community,  their  influence  is  beyond  calculation. 

"  But  if  railroads  cannot  be  conducted  without  changing  the 
habits  and  customs  of  our  people,  and  trampling  on  the  right 
of  the  community  to  a  quiet  day  for  rest  and  worship,  training 
up  their  armies  of  employees  to  desecrate  the  Sabbath,  and 
rushing  past  our  cities  and  towns  and  peaceful  villages,  scream 
ing  as  they  go,  '  No  Sabbath  !  No  Sabbath  ! ' — then  they  will 
become  a  curse  rather  than  a  blessing.  The  fact  is,  the  rail 
road  interest  has  become  the  all-powerful,  overshadowing  inter 
est  of  the  country,  and  every  year  adds  to  it.  Railroads  will 
double  in  the  next  twenty  years.  What  is  done  must  be  done 
promptly. 

"  The  question  of  the  day  for  every  one  who  loves  his  coun 
try,  and  believes  in  the  value  and  importance  of  the  Christian 
Sabbath,  as  we  in  America  have  honored  and  maintained  it,  the 
great  question  is,  shall  this  mighty  railroad  interest  become  one 
of  the  chief  instruments  in  transforming  our  American  Sabbath 
into  the  continental  holiday,  or — as  it  ie  fast  growing  to  be — 
a  day  like  all  the  others  of  the  week  ?  I  have  no  doubt  it  is 
within  the  power  of  the  intelligent  lovers  of  the  Sabbath,  asso 
ciated  with  the  Christian  stockholders  in  these  roads,  to  bring 
about  a  change  that  shall  stop  the  transit  of  freight  trains,  and 
reduce  the  passenger  traffic  to  such  an  extent  that  the  influence 
shall  tell  on  the  side  of  Sabbath  observance.  I  have  no  ques 
tion  that  if  Christian  men,  when  about  to  invest  in  the  securi 
ties  of  a  railroad,  would  ask,  '  Does  this  road  run  on  Sunday  ?  ' 
and  if  so,  refuse  to  put  money  there,  it  would  go  far  to  settle 
this  problem.  But  if  the  only  inquiry  is,  '  Does  the  road  pay 
regular  dividends  ?  '  no  matter  how  they  get  the  money,  do  not 
be  too  sure  of  your  dividends.  Those  overworked  engineers, 
conductors,  or  brakemen  may  lose  all  interest  in  their  duties, 
become  discouraged  and  careless,  or  incapable  of  that  prompt 
action  necessary  in  the  moment  of  danger,  and  an  accident  may 
occur  which  will  not  only  send  many  into  eternity,  but  cause  a 
loss  that  will  make  a  dividend  impossible. 

"  Railway  managers  determined  to  use  the  Sabbath  as  any 


WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

other  day,  must  either  drive  the  Sabbath-loving  employees  from 
their  roads,  or  so  demoralize  them  that  they  will  soon  come  to 
feel,  if  there  is  no  binding  force  in  the  fourth  commandment, 
there  is  none  in  the  eighth  !  Stockholders  will  find  they  have  a 
pecuniary  interest  in  so  conducting  their  roads  that  men  can  be 
employed  who  believe  they  have  a  right  to  claim  the  one  day's 
rest  which  God  and  nature  demand." 

Now,  too,  he  gave  many  hours  each  week  to  temper 
ance.  "  Parlor  conventions  "  were  held  in  "  Dodge 
Hall."  Distinguished  gatherings  were  addressed  by 
prominent  leaders,  such  as  Governor  St.  John,  of 
Kansas ;  Governor  Colquitt,  of  Georgia ;  Chief- 
Justice  Noah  Davis,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New 
York,  and  Bishop  Potter,  of  the  Metropolitan  Episco 
pal  diocese.  At  the  Presbyterian  Council  in  Phila 
delphia,  in  1880,  Mr.  Dodge  read  an  elaborate  and 
powerful  paper  on  this  subject,  which  commanded 
the  attention  and  plaudits  of  the  assembly,  and 
echoed  far  and  wide  beyond  those  confines.  On  this 
occasion  he  said,  among  other  things  : 

"  Having  watched  the  progress  of  the  temperance  reforma 
tion  from  its  beginning,  and  the  several  crises  which  have  from 
time  to  time  secured  fresh  public  attention,  and  in  each  case 
carried  the  cause  forward,  I  am  now  fully  convinced  that  the 
next  great  battle  is  to  be  for  prohibition.  This  principle  of  the 
suppression  of  the  traffic  by  popular  vote,  either  through  con 
stitutional  amendments,  State  and  National,  or  by  local  prohibi 
tion,  is  the  question  which  the  friends  of  temperance  in  this 
country  are  bound  to  press  until  public  sentiment  shall  secure 
the  result. 

"  It  is  not  claimed  that  prohibition  will  prevent  all  intemper 
ance,  but  it  will  go  far  towards  it,  by  removing  the  public 
temptation,  which  is  now  the  cause  of  so  much  intemperance. 
The  license-system  is  the  chief  object  in  the  way.  It  gives  a 


TOWARDS    EVENING.  Zll 

kind  of  legal  respectability  to  the  business.  I  desire  to  secure 
the  active  cooperation  of  the  church  in  the  greater  work  of  pre 
vention,  by  closing  up  the  fountains  from  which  all  this  misery 
flows — to  the  work  of  awakening  public  attention  to  the  sin  and 
folly  of  granting  men  licenses  to  sell  the  poison,  and  then  try 
ing  to  rescue  those  who  are  being  destroyed  by  the  very  thing 
we  have  made  it  lawful,  and  hence  apparently  right,  to  sell 
and  use. 

"  As  Christians  and  citizens  we  have  responsibilities  which 
we  must  so  discharge  as  to  promote  the  best  interests  of 
society,  and  not  simply  to  carry  out  plans,  which  in  almost 
all  cases  are  arranged  to  secure  the  influence  of  the  rum-seller 
and  the  votes  of  his  customers.  The  time  must  come  when  no 
Christian  can  maintain  his  standing  in  the  church  who  will 
manufacture,  sell,  or  use  intoxicating  drinks,  or  vote  for  any 
party  favoring  income  from  license  to  sell  poison.  Christians 
have  it  in  their  power  almost  to  remove  wholly  the  source  of 
this  fearful  evil.  Let  it  once  be  understood  by  political  man 
agers  that  Christians  will  no  longer  support  men  for  office 
pledged  to  license  this  traffic,  and  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in 
obtaining  the  adoption  of  the  principle  of  prohibition." 

Although  a  total  abstainer,  and  an  advocate  of  total 
abstinence,  he  eagerly  cooperated  with  those  who 
were  neither  in  any  practical  movements  in  which 
they  would  lend  a  helping  hand  ;  going  with  them  as 
far  as  they  would  go,  and  then  treading  beyond  and 
without  them  when  they  cried  a  halt.  "  I  am  for  the 
prohibition  of  the  dram  shops,"  said  he  to  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Cuyler,  "but  I  am  willing  to  work  with  anybody 
who  is  honestly  trying  to  curtail  their  number.  If  I 
cannot  obtain  all  I  want,  I  will  get  all  I  can."  In 
this  spirit  he  went  upon  the  platform  of  the  "  Church 
Temperance  Society,"  composed  of  men  holding 
moderate  views,  and  captivated  them  in  a  speech 


WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 


which,  while  not  compromising  his  own  principles, 
urged  them  to  go  on  and  up. 

At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  he  assisted  in  organ 
izing  the  "  National  Temperance  Society,"  of  which 
he  became  president  —  a  position  which  he  retained 
until  death  removed  him.  This  was  his  favorite 
agency  ;  and  its  history,  illustrious  with  energetic 
and  effective  labors  for  the  enlightenment  and  salva 
tion  of  mankind  from  drink,  is  his  temperance  bio 
graphy.1  Not  once  only,  but  many  times,  were  his 
scruples  respected  in  miscellaneous  social  circles,  the 
decanter  being  banished  and  the  wine  glasses  turned 
down.  From  such  bodies  as  derived  a  portion  of 
their  income  from  the  sale  of  intoxicants,  as  was  the 
case  with  several  clubs  with  which  he  had  been 
allied,  he  quietly  withdrew,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
appearance  of  evil.  Thus  he  shaped  his  life  into 
noble  consistency. 

Mr.  Dodge  retained  his  political  interests  down  to 
old  age  ;  not  in  a  partisan  sense,  but  sufficiently  to 
lead  him  to  do  what  he  believed  good  citizens  were 
under  obligation  to  do  —  go  to  the  ballot-box  and  indi 
cate  a  choice  with  regard  to  public  rulers.  Thus,  in 
1876,  he  had  supported  Hayes  for  President  ;  and 
in  1880  he  voted  for  his  old  friend  and  former  Con 
gressional  colleague,  Garfield.  But  politics  were 
side-issues  in  his  life,  from  which  he  quickly,  gladly 
turned  into  more  congenial  walks. 


1  He  left  this  organization  $20,000  in  his  will. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

REST. 

IT  was  in  the  spring  of  1881  that  the  merchant,  with 
his  inseparable  companion  and  other  self,  visited 
Europe  for  the  last  time.  Travelling  leisurely  through 
Great  Britain,  now  as  familiar  to  them  as  America, 
they  crossed  the  chop-waves  of  the  channel  and  re 
mained  through  the  hot  months  and  on  into  the  fall 
upon  the  continent. 

In  England  they  were  kept  busy  in  social  and  phil 
anthropic  ways,  receiving  and  returning  visits,  attend 
ing  meetings,  making  the  acquaintance  of  dignitaries 
in  church  and  state — New  York  transferred  to  London. 

Indeed,  these  two  were  now  like  birds  on  the  wing. 
For  they  had  hardly  landed  in  the  United  States, 
before  they  were  off  again,  this  time  not  across  the 
sea,  but  over  the  continent.  Combining  pleasure  with 
business  (an  old  habit,  and  one  of  the  secrets  of  his 
health  and  elasticity  under  enormous  pressure),  Mr. 
Dodge  and  his  wife  (free  as  air,  for  the  sons  were  now 
all  grown  and  out  of  hand),  went  to  take  a  look  at 
California.  From  Santa  Fe,  en  route,  he  dropped  this 
letter  to  one  of  his  sons  : 

"  We  have  been  here  for  three  days,  amid  the  strange  sights 
of  this,  the  oldest  city  of  our  country.  We  attended  the  Presby 
terian  Church  on  Sunday,  and  had  a  large  temperance  meeting 


320  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

in  the  evening.  We  have  visited  the  schools  and  mission  of  our 
church ;  and  one  day  drove  out  to  the  Indian  village,  some  ten 
miles  away,  and  saw  the  poor,  deluded  creatures  belonging  to  a 
people  who  for  three  hundred  years  have  been  under  Catholic  in 
fluences,  and  not  one  in  twenty  can  read,  or  has  any  more  general 
knowledge  than  their  fathers  three  centuries  ago.  We  have 
met  friends  at  every  turn.  The  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
here  is  from  Flushing,  Long  Island.  When  Senator,  at  Albany, 
he  acted  for  our  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  he  showed  me  a 
finely  engrossed  vote  of  thanks,  signed  by  me  as  president.  At 
the  close  of  the  temperance  meeting  the  Governor  of  the  Terri 
tory  introduced  himself  as  an  old  attorney  of  our  firm.  We  sub 
sequently  visited  him  at  the  '  Palace,'  or  Government  House, 
now  three  hundred  years  old,  where  he  has  a  wonderful  collec 
tion  of  curiosities.  At  the  temperance  meeting  also  a  lawyer  and 
his  wife  came  up  to  greet  us,  and  he  introduced  himself  as  a  son 

of  our  old  friend,  Judge .  A  fine  looking  young  man  followed, 

who  said  he  was  once  a  member  of  the  Rivington  Street  Church, 
in  New  York,  and  had  been  five  years  in  Mr.  Booth's  office.  We 
are  all  well,  and  enjoy  every  moment." 

On  reaching  the  Yosemite  Valley,  he  wrote  again  : 

"  We  reached  this  most  grand  and  remarkable  spot  in  the  after 
noon  of  the  second  day,  and  the  sight  was  beyond  anything  I 
could  have  anticipated  by  descriptions.  The  rocks  rise  five  to 
six  thousand  feet  perpendicularly,  with  every  form  of  peak,  and 
with  streams  twenty  feet  wide  falling  sixteen  hundred  feet  in 
one  sheet.  As  we  came  down  into  the  valley,  which  is  only 
some  mile  or  so  wide,  and  full  of  majestic  trees,  it  looked  like  a 
fine  English  park." 

Upon  turning  homeward,  they  stopped  over  at  Salt 
Lake  City,  and  thence  diverged  to  glance  at  Denver 
and  breathe  the  air  of  Colorado.  The  summer  of  1882 
they  spent  at  "  Cedar  Cliff,"  on  the  Hudson.  The  inde 
fatigable  travellers  confessed  to  themselves  that  the  re- 


REST.  321 

treat  was  welcome.  Here,  beside  the  murmuring  river, 
surrounded  by  loving  friends,  in  the  enjoyment  of  all 
necessary  comforts,  with  hearts  and  hands  open  as 
ever  to  every  claim,  the  autumn  overtook  them  too 
soon  ;  and  the  country-seat  was  exchanged  for  the 
city  mansion. 

Mr.  Dodge  resumed  his  activities,  but  continued  to 
find  his  chief  earthly  solace  under  his  own  roof.  On 
the  Sundays  he  waited  upon  the  House  of  God,  and 
at  his  hearth  turned  over  the  Observer,  the  Evangelist, 
or  some  volume  by  Jay  or  Spurgeon.  Sometimes  he 
opened  and  read  a  book  of  sacred  poetry  to  the  wife 
seated  there  at  his  side.  One  verse,  a  fugitive  verse, 
had  struck  him  and  imprinted  itself  upon  his  memory. 
He  delighted  to  repeat  it  at  home  or  abroad,  because 
of  the  comfort  it  had  given  Mrs.  Dodge  and  himself, 
because  also  his  repetitions  had  carried  consolation 
to  others.  Here  it  is  : 

"  Build  a  full,  firm  fence  of  faith 

All  around  to-day, 
Fill  it  in  with  useful  works, 

And  within   it  stay. 
Look  not  through  the  sheltering  bars, 

Anxious  for  to-morrow  ; 
God  will  help,  whatever  comes. 

Be  it  joy  or  sorrow." 

The  week  days  were  devoted  to  those  affairs  which 
had  engrossed  him  for  years,  and  always  increasingly 
to  good  words  and  works  ;  an  annual  meeting  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College,  of  which  he 
was  the  treasurer  ;  a  religious  address  at  some  out 
lying  and  worthy  church  ;  a  meeting  of  the  session  of 


322  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

his  own  church,  of  which  he  was  an  active  elder  ;  a 
visit  to  a  newly-established  "  Home  for  Inebriate 
Women  ;  "  a  reception  given  in  his  own  parlors  ;  a 
great  meeting  in  the  Cooper  Union  Hall,  in  support 
of  the  Protection  of  American  Industries,  where  he 
assisted  his  old  and  valued  friend,  Peter  Cooper,  to 
preside — his  last  public  service. 

One  day,  while  making  a  benevolent  call  with  Mrs. 
Dodge,  he  was  seized  with  violent  pains  and  returned 
to  his  home.  The  paroxysms  yielded  to  treatment, 
but  returned  during  the  night  and  at  intervals  for 
several  days.  It  was  difficult  to  keep  him  housed,  his 
habits  were  so  active.  The  seventh  of  February  he 
passed  into  his  library,  attending  to  certain  compli 
cated  matters  relating  to  his  wife's  estate,  of  which  he 
kept  a  separate  account.  That  night,  through  over 
work,  his  pains  returned,  but  relief  came,  and  he  fell 
asleep.  Upon  arising  the  next  morning  (February 
8th,  1883),  he  looked  reassuringly  into  the  anxious 
face  of  Mrs.  Dodge,  told  her  that  he  felt  much  better, 
nearly  completed  dressing,  and  asked  her  to  fetch  his 
wrapper.  She  started  to  get  it,  but  was  arrested  by 
a  startled  call,  and  turning,  found  him  sinking  to  the 
floor.  With  his  head  upon  her  lap  he  breathed  feebly 
once  or  twice,  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  about  in  a 
dazed  way,  and  closed  them — forever  ! 

The  physicians  said  it  was  a  case  of  heart  failure. 
It  was  the  first  and  last  time  that  the  noble  heart  ever 
failed. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE     VERDICT. 

WHEN  a  man  of  world-wide  reputation  is  on  trial 
all  ears  are  open  to  catch  the  verdict. 

William  E.  Dodge  was  on  trial,  not  indeed  in  a 
court  of  law,  but  in  the  vast  court  of  Christian  civiliza 
tion,  from  youth  to  old  age.  What  is  the  verdict? 
Let  us  poll  the  jury — a  jury  composed  of  the  diversi 
fied  interests  among  and  for  which  he  labored. 

No  financial  earthquake  followed  his  demise.  That 
had  been  anticipated  and  discounted.  For  a  veteran 
of  seventy-eight  years  is,  in  the  course  of  nature,  near 
the  grave,  even  in  seeming  health.  But  the  with 
drawal  of  Mr.  Dodge  from  the  arena  of  earth  made  a 
sensation.  It  did  more.  It  plunged  Commerce, 
Philanthropy,  and  Religion  in  a  common  grief.  And 
with  reason.  Was  he  not  the  son  and  ornament  of 
this  trinity  of  influences  ? 

His  funeral,  held  in  the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  at 
the  corner  of  Park  Avenue  and  Thirty-fifth  Street,  at 
ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  on  the  i2th  of  February,  1883,  was 
attended  by  an  immense  concourse — hundreds  being 
unable  to  gain  admission.  Here  were  those  who  had 
known  and  loved  him,  the  most  distinguished  repre 
sentatives  of  the  mercantile,  benevolent,  and  Christian 
communities.  Services,  tenderly  impressive,  were 


324  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

shared  in  by  numbers  of  his  nearest  and  dearest 
associates.  The  coffin  was  borne  by  his  seven  sons, 
and  at  the  close  the  dear  dust  was  laid  away  in  Wood- 
lawn  Cemetery. 

The  press  of  the  whole  country  voiced  the  feeling 
of  common  bereavement.  Letters,  which  were  testi 
monials,  fell  upon  the  family  like  a  snow-storm  ;  each 
one  reopening  the  wound  made  by  death,  and  at  the 
same  time  pouring  in  the  balm  of  consolation.  These 
various  tributes  would  make  another  volume  as  large 
as  this,  were  they  collected  and  published.  Out  of 
the  throng,  a  few  shall  speak  for  all.  Let  the  utter 
ances  testify  concerning  the  chief  features  of  Mr. 
Dodge's  complex  character  and  work. 

The  value  of  his  example  is  well  expressed  by  the 
Missionary  Herald,  of  Boston  : 

"  It  has  been  impressive  to  watch  the  tide  of  eulogy,  which 
since  his  death  has  poured  forth  from  all  quarters,  in  memory 
of  this  follower  of  Christ.  The  secular  press  has  vied  with  the 
religious  in  commending  the  life  and  character  of  William  E. 
Dodge.  Neither  his  large  wealth  nor  his  fine  intellectual 
powers  gave  him  the  distinction  he  confessedly  achieved.  The 
secret  of  his  fame  is  that  he  placed  his  possessions  and  his 
talents,  in  a  very  simple  and  consecrated  way,  at  the  service  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  Both  his  heart  and  his  purse 
were  open,  and  his  tongue  was  ready  for  any  and  every  good 
cause.  He  did  not  live  for  himself.  Even  a  selfish  world 
honors  him  for  this.  It  is  an  unspeakable  blessing  when  any 
one  exemplifies  the  law  of  love  and  loving  service,  as  was  done 
by  this  eminent  Christian  philanthropist.  Better  even  than  his 
legacies  of  money  is  this  legacy  of  his  example." 

The  manner  of  his  death  is  thus  noticed  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  H.  M.  Field,  in  an  editorial  in  the  Evangelist : 


THE    VERDICT.  325 

"  His  departure,  though  so  sudden  that  it  startled  us  all,  yet 
was  merciful  in  its  instant  release  from  pain  and  its  swift  ascent 
to  a  world  where  sorrow  cannot  come.  It  was  preceded  by  no 
long-lingering  sickness,  attended  by  great  suffering,  by  none  of 
that  decay  of  body  or  of  mind,  which  it  is  so  painful  to  witness 
in  those  we  love  ;  all  his  faculties  were  unimpaired  to  the  last, 
when,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  he  was  not,  for 
God  took  him.  Such  a  death  seems  like  a  translation  when 
the  life  that  now  is  glides  so  swiftly,  with  no  interval  of  weak 
ness  and  helplessness,  into  the  life  that  is  to  come.  Surely 
nothing  was  wanted  to  the  completeness  of  such  a  life  but  that 
it  should  be  closed  by  such  a  death." 

His  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  M.  R.  Vincent,  indicates 
the  groundwork  of  his  character  in  personal  piety : 

"  It  is  much  to  say  of  any  man,  that  he  has  passed  over  sixty 
years  in  a  great  center  like  New  York,  and  most  of  that  time 
in  public  life,  identified  with  a  great  variety  of  public  move 
ments,  and  has  always  been  found  on  the  side  of  religion, 
morality,  order,  patriotism,  and  philanthropy.  That,  in  brief, 
is  Mr.  Dodge's  record.  There  is,  however,  a  fact  back  of  this, 
which  is  the  key  to  the  record.  His  life  represents,  beyond 
everything  else,  the  religion  of  the  Gospel.  That  was  its  basis, 
its  inspiration,  its  controlling  force." 

What  was  the  primary  object  of  his  life  ?  According 
to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Irenaeus  Prime  it  was  : 

"  First,  and  before  all  else,  the  advancement  of  personal 
religion,  the  conversion  of  men,  and  the  revival  and  increase  of 
piety  in  the  church  and  community.  As  a  churchmember,  a 
ruling  elder,  a  Sunday-School  superintendent  and  teacher,  he 
was  zealous  and  indefatigable.  Endowed  with  gifts  as  a 
public  speaker,  unusual  in  a  man  of  affairs,  his  voice  was 
always  eloquent  for  Christ.  Among  the  poor  in  the  city,  and 
to  the  heathen  afar,  he  sought  alike  to  give  the  bread  of  life." 


326  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

There  is  no  trait  more  rare,  more  essential  to  noble 
character,  than  moral  courage.  General  S.  C.  Arm 
strong,  who  knew  him  intimately,  is  a  witness  on  this 
point  : 

"  Among  the  many  shining  lessons  of  his  life  to  the  youth  of 
the  land,  for  whom  he  did  so  much,  and  before  whom  he  will 
doubtless  always  be  held  as  an  example,  one  of  the  brightest 
and  most  useful  is  the  wisdom  of  sending  your  principles  to 
the  front,  carrying  your  colors  flying.  Nobody  was  ever  at  a 
loss  on  which  side  to  find  him." 

To  the  same  effect  is  the  testimony  of  Mark  Hopkins, 
D.D.,  L.L.D.,  his  associate  for  many  years  : 

"  Mr.  Dodge's  example  was  heroic.  It  was  so  because  he  had 
the  fullest  means  at  his  command  of  personal  gratification  ; 
because  it  was  opposed  to  the  example  and  the  spirit,  almost 
universal,  of  those  with  whom  he  was  associated  ;  and  because 
it  sprang  from  a  heroic  motive.  There  was  not  in  him  a  parti 
cle  of  asceticism.  No  man  was  more  cheerful  or  joyous,  or 
enjoyed  more  perfectly  those  tasteful  and  beautiful  influences 
which  wealth  can  procure.  No  ;  it  was  not  from  any  asceticism  ! 
It  was  because  he  felt  that  he  thus  gained  a  foothold  which 
would  enable  him,  when  he  reached  his  hand  down  to  lift  up  a 
struggling  brother,  to  do  it  more  effectually.  And  it  did  give 
such  a  foothold  ;  and  knowing  this,  it  was  the  very  spirit  of 
Christ  in  him  which  induced  him  to  sacrifice  himself.  He  asked 
no  abstract  question  ;  but  seeing  that  his  influence  here  and 
now  for  good  would  be  thus  promoted,  he  adopted  at  once  the 
principle  of  the  apostle,  that  if  meat  would  make  his  brother  to 
offend,  he  would  eat  no  meat  while  the  world  stood." 

As  to  the  dead  merchant's  business  ability,  a  gentle 
man  of  wide  experience  and  large  observation,  re 
marks  : 


THE    VERDICT.  327 

"  In  the  conduct  of  mercantile  affairs  he  soon  showed  great 
capacity.  It  is  the  fashion  with  some  to  underrate  the  talent 
required  for  success  in  business  as  compared  with  that  shown 
in  the  professions  or  in  political  life.  But  the  management  of  a 
large  business  requires  as  much  strength  and  clearness  of  under 
standing,  as  much  sagacity  and  judgment,  as  to  '  run  '  a  depart 
ment  of  the  Government — indeed,  more  ;  for  in  State  depart 
ments  there  are  always  the  heads  of  bureaus,  who  have  been 
long  in  the  service,  and  know  all  the  details,  so  that  a  depart 
ment  almost  '  runs  '  itself,  without  the  special  supervision  of  its 
chief.  But  to  build  up  a  great  commercial  house,  to  organize 
its  complicated  mechanism,  to  anticipate  public  wants,  and 
guard  against  the  dangers  which  threaten  commercial  enter 
prises,  requires  a  very  high  degree  of  administrative  capacity." 

To  the  same  effect  is  the  evidence  of  another  friend, 
the  Rev.  A.  C.  Shaw,  D.D.: 

"  There  is  no  man  to  whom  the  phrase  '  good  luck  '  is  more 
improperly  implied  than  to  William  E.  Dodge.  His  story  from 
beginning  to  end  is  one  of  cause  and  effect ;  and  the  cause  is 
always  equal  to  the  effect.  He  was  a  model  business  man. 
The  man  doing  business  on  the  most  extensive  scale,  handling 
millions  every  year,  could  study  him  with  profit ;  and  the  man 
whose  business  is  limited  to  a  few  thousands — even  the  boy 
beginner  to  whom  a  thousand  is  an  incredible  sum — could  not 
do  better  than  to  study  his  example. .  He  had  all  the  qualifica 
tions  which  insure  contentment  and  progress  amid  restricted 
means  and  limited  opportunities ;  knew  how  to  live  within  a 
small  income.  It  was  with  the  savings  of  such  an  income  that 
he  laid  the  corner-stone  of  his  vast  prosperity.  He  knew  how 
to  accommodate  himself  to  the  disagreeable  necessities  of  his 
lot ;  and  if  he  could  not  do  what  he  would,  he  cheerfully  and 
heartily  did  what  he  could.  It  was  the  faithful  errand  boy  who 
became  the  great  merchant.  Not  less  could  he  adapt  himself 
to  the  largest  undertakings,  and  easily  bear  up  the  heaviest 
responsibilities.  He  had  all  the  qualities  which  win  the  regard 


328  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

and  retain  the  confidence  of  men.  In  him  the  theoretical  and 
practical  elements  were  successfully  blended  ;  he  could  compre 
hend  a  vast  enterprise,  and  at  the  same  time  perfect  each  one 
of  its  details,  and  then  bring  to  the  work  the  ceaseless  vigor, 
the  persistent  force,  the  unresting  push  that  achieved  results. 
Withal  he  had  an  originating  mind  ;  he  did  not  wait  upon  oppor 
tunity  ;  he  '  made  his  own  opportunity.'  He  could  see  oppor 
tunities  where  others  did  not  see  them,  and  he  was  bold  to 
undertake  where  others  saw,  but  dared  not  venture.  In  nothing, 
it  seems  to  me,  was  he  more  admirable  as  a  man  of  business 
than  in  the  harmonious  adjustment  and  cooperation  of  his  good 
qualities.  His  enterprise  did  not  outrun  his  judgment,  nor  his 
judgment  put  shackles  upon  his  enterprise.  He  had  not  too 
much  zeal  for  his  knowledge,  nor  knowledge  at  the  expense  of 
zeal.  He  was  not  a  man  who  would  do  excellently  in  little 
New  York,  numbering  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand,  but 
was  out  of  place  in  the  metropolis  ;  nor  was  he  one  who  could 
prosper  in  the  great  city,  and  not  succeed  in  a  small  town.  He 
was  admirable  in  both. 

"  He  was  a  Christian  business  man.  By  this  I  mean  that  he 
introduced  the  spirit  of  the  Christian  religion  into  his  business 
life.  He  did  business  on  the  kind,  the  fair,  the  honorable,  and 
the  brotherly  principles  of  that  religion.  There  was  nothing 
mean  or  cruel  in  his  prosperity.  It  was  not,  unless  I  am  mis 
taken,  built  upon  the  ruins  of  prosperity  of  others.  It  was  not 
the  triumph  of  the  strong  over  the  weak,  of  the  fortunate  over 
the  unfortunate.  He  honored  the  old  maxim — Live,  and  let 
live;  he  prospered  through  causing  others  to  prosper;  his 
good  fortune  was  the  certificate  of  the  good  fortune  of  those 
who  had  wrought  for  him.  And  as  that  prosperity  rolled  in 
upon  him  it  served  only  to  broaden  and  deepen  his  fraternal 
sympathy  with  all  who  were  struggling  with  an  adverse  lot. 
Upon  all  his  wealth  he  could  look  as  that  which  belonged  to 
him  through  the  blessing  of  his  Father  in  Heaven.  That 
wealth  had  in  it  no  reproaches,  no  sorrowful  accusations,  but 
benedictions  and  only  benedictions.  This  is  high  praise  ;  it  is  say 
ing  much  in  these  days  to  affirm  all  this  about  a  very  rich  man." 


THE    VERDICT.  329 

The  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  is  a  compe 
tent  witness  as  to  mercantile  capacity.  At  a  special 
meeting  of  this  body,  called  on  the  day  following  Mr. 
Dodge's  death,  the  resolutions  make  this  reference  to 
his  standing  : 

"  In  the  successful  career  of  this  distinguished  merchant  we 
find  an  example  of  the  results  of  sagacity,  strict  attention  to  de 
tails,  and  perfect  integrity.  He  has  always,  here  and  elsewhere, 
through  a  long  and  eventful  life,  enjoyed  the  unfailing  confi 
dence  of  his  fellow-merchants.  This  Chamber  records  with 
profound  satisfaction  its  appreciation  of  his  public  spirit,  of  the 
philanthropy  and  unbounded  charity  with  which  he  maintained 
the  character  of  the  American  merchant." 

Among  the  merchants  who  addressed  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  on  the  occasion  just  referred  to,  was  the 
Hon.  S.  B.  Chittenden,  himself  an  illustrious  orna 
ment  of  commerce,  who  said  : 

"  Mr.  Dodge  has  been  an  active,  living  force  in  New  York  for 
more  than  sixty  years.  His  career  as  a  useful  man  has  been 
wonderful.  He  has  witnessed  the  growth  of  the  population  of 
the  Metropolis,  including  the  suburbs,  from  a  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  to  two  million,  with  all  the  wealth  and  power  so  grand 
an  aggregation  of  human  activities  imply.  In  and  through  all 
this  remarkable  development  Mr.  Dodge  has  been  a  prominent 
and  influential  figure.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  exaggerate  his 
activity,  or  to  magnify  too  much  his  public  and  private  virtues. 
His  was  the  spirit  of  honest  enterprise.  He  loved  to  make 
money,  and  had  a  faculty  for  the  accumulation  of  property  by 
right  methods ;  but  he  also  had,  in  larger  measure,  the  higher 
and  more  enviable  faculty  for  a  wise  distribution  of  property 
for  the  welfare  of  mankind.  It  is  not  the  fortune  of  many  mer 
chants  to  make  so  deep  an  impress  upon  their  times  as  Mr. 
Dodge  has  made.  Let  us  hope  that  his  merited  fame  will  speak 


33°  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

through  many  centuries,  and  that  his  example  will  be  an  inspi 
ration  to  future  generations  of  this  Chamber  of  Commerce." 

As  to  Mr.  Dodge's  benevolence,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Prime 
speaks  again  : 

"  The  Christian  benevolence  of  Mr.  Dodge  was  remarkable 
even  in  this  city  and  this  day  of  large  givers.  In  this  one  re 
spect  he  was  far  in  advance  of  others  who  had  large  posses 
sions,  and  were  equally  free  in  bestowing  their  goods  upon  the 
poor.  Mr.  Dodge  personally  worked  to  do  good  ;  like  his  Mas 
ter,  he  went  about  doing  good.  He  had  more  '  irons  in  the  fire/ 
he  was  a  more  busy  man,  with  a  greater  variety  of  engagements 
for  each  and  every  hour  of  the  day,  than  any  man  we  ever 
knew.  Active,  wiry,  untiring,  even  down  to  old  age,  he  went  from 
one  duty  to  another  ;  keeping  memoranda  of  appointments,  and 
a  man  to  remind  him  ;  despatching  business  with  promptness, 
but  not  without  careful  attention.  He  literally  gave  himself  to 
the  world,  the  church,  the  poor — to  Christ.  His  large  heart 
took  in  every  good  work ;  and  no  list  of  his  charities,  nor  of  the 
institutions  which  he  founded  or  supported,  will  ever  tell  the  ex 
tent  or  the  nature  of  his  deeds  of  love.  How  or  where  he  be 
gan  this  living  for  others,  it  may  be  hard  to  say.  That  it 
ended  only  with  his  life,  we  know.  That  it  grew  with  him  as  a 
part  of  his  being,  becoming  a  broader  range  of  existence,  more 
absorbing  and  diffusive,  as  means  and  years  and  knowledge  of 
the  wants  of  others  were  brought  into  the  sphere  of  his  acquaint 
ance,  was  evident  year  by  year  until  the  end." 

A  close  acquaintance  refers  to  Mr.  Dodge's  domestic 
life  : 

"  There  is  one  point  to  which  we  feel  a  delicacy  in  alluding, 
and  yet  which  seems  necessary  to  complete  the  picture  of  a 
man  whose  goodness  made  him  truly  great — it  is  the  beauty  of 
his  domestic  life.  In  his  early  manhood  he  had  given  to  him 
the  best  gift  which  God  gives  to  any  man— a  noble  wife,  who 


THE    VERDICT.  33! 

was  his  companion  for  more  than  half  a  century,  and  who, 
instead  of  checking  his  too  eager  impulse  and  generosity, 
encouraged  it,  and  so  strengthened  in  him  every  kindly  instinct, 
every  generous  impulse.  While  conceding  to  him  all  that  was 
good  and  worthy  of  praise  in  his  very  constitution,  we  do  not 
believe  it  would  have  been  possible  for  him,  or  for  any  man,  to 
become  such  a  public  benefactor  but  for  the  presence  in  his 
home  and  the  constant  inspiration  of  one  who  was  in  every 
respect  worthy  to  be  his  companion.  Never  was  there  a  more 
perfect  union  of  minds,  and  wills  and  hearts.  Hand  in  hand 
they  walked  on  in  life,  feeling  alike  that  the  best  use  of  wealth 
was  to  do  good." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  O.  A.  Kingsbury,  in  the  Illustrated 
Christian  Weekly,  has  something  to  say  touching  Mr. 
Dodge's  manner  : 

"  One  of  the  great  charms  of  the  late  William  E.  Dodge  was 
his  geniality.  He  was  always  kindly  to  those  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  This  was  not  a  manner  assumed  for  a  pur 
pose.  It  would  not  have  had  the  fine  flavor  it  possessed  had 
it  been  put  on  even  with  the  artfulness  of  the  demagogue.  The 
geniality  of  this  good  man  was  genuine.  It  grew  out  of  a 
Christian  heart,  and  was  the  expression  of  a  benevolent  feeling 
towards  all  mankind." 

Mr.  Dodge,  as  we  know,  was  of  the  old  Puritan 
stock.  He  was  himself  a  Puritan,  as  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Theo.  L.  Cuyler  assures  us  : 

"  He  continued  to  be  a  Puritan  to  the  end  of  his  noble  life, 
but  without  any  sour,  severe  austerities.  The  solid  rock  was 
well  overgrown  with  fragrant  flowers,  but  the  rock  was  there. 
In  an  age  of  increasing  laxities  on  many  questions  of  Christian 
practice,  and  exposed  to  the  peculiar  temptations  of  wealth 
and  social  prominence,  the  man  never  outgrew  or  even 
diluted  the  ingrained  Puritanism  of  his  boyhood.  The  world 


332  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

knew  him  most  widely  for  his  munificent  gifts  of  money  to 
innumerable  objects  ;  but  after  thirty  years  of  intimate  inter 
course  with  him,  I  was  never  half  so  much  impressed  by  his 
generosity  as  by  his  intense,  immovable  conscientiousness.  So 
emotional  in  his  temperament  that  he  cried  like  a  child  under 
Cough's  stories,  or  Sankey's  songs,  yet  the  central  trunk  of  his 
religion  was  conscience.  The  word  '  ought '  always  gave  the 
casting-vote.  ...  No  one  dared  to  look  into  his  honest,  loving 
eye  and  call  him  Pharisee.  A  God-honoring  conscience  was 
the  tap-root  of  his  character ;  and  the  loss  of  such  a  con 
science  is  a  sorer  bereavement  to  this  community  and  the 
country  than  the  loss  of  his  bountiful  purse." 

However,  it  was  not  single  qualities  that  made  Mr. 
Dodge  the  man  he  was,  but  rather  the  symmetrical 
union  of  these  in  a  personality  gracious  and  urbane. 
Listen  once  more  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Irenaeus  Prime  on 
this  point  : 

"  So  fully  rounded  out  with  the  virtues  that  adorn  humanity, 
so  free  from  the  imperfections  that  often  mar  the  character  of 
the  good,  so  full  of  usefulness  and  honor,  crowned  with  love 
in  public,  social,  and  domestic  life,  it  is  hard  to  say  what  was 
his  highest  excellence,  in  what  department  of  the  world's  work 
he  was  the  most  efficient,  and  where  his  loss  will  be  the  most 
sadly  felt." 

In  this  Dr.  Prime  is  confirmed  by  President 
Hopkins,  so  long  and  so  usefully  the  President  of 
Williams  College  : 

"  He  was  remarkable  for  his  combination  of  business  and 
religion  with  all  the  amenities  of  social  life.  He  was  remark 
able  for  his  zeal  in  evangelical  religion,  without  a  touch  of 
fanaticism.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  position  on  the 
temperance  question,  giving  without  stint  for  the  promotion  of 
the  cause,  fully  apprehensive  of  the  amazing  evils  connected 


THE    VERDICT.  333 

with  the  liquor  traffic,  himself  earnestly  and  personally  advo 
cating  the  cause,  and  everywhere  consistent  in  his  example, 
and  yet  with  not  one  particle  of  denunciation.  No  man — and 
that  is  not  common — ever  heard  him  speak  with  unkindness  of 
those  who  differed  from  him  in  regard  to  means  of  work ;  and 
the  same  is  true  in  his  advocacy  of  that  fundamental  institution 
in  our  Republican  Government,  the  Sabbath — firm,  consistent, 
but  always  Christian  in  his  spirit." 

That  race,  too,  which  he  did  so  much  to  befriend 
and  lift  up,  in  a  great  memorial  meeting  held  in 
Columbia,  S.  C.,  bore  loving  testimony  to  his  efforts 
in  their  behalf,  in  a  series  of  resolutions,  one  of  which 
we  quote  : 

"  Resolved,  That  we,  as  representatives  of  the  colored  citi 
zens  forming  an  integral  part  of  this  great*  nation,  believe  we 
express  their  unuttered  sentiment  when  we  say  that  we  shall 
ever  cherish  in  our  inmost  hearts  the  memory  of  one  who  so 
unselfishly  donated  his  life  to  the  amelioration  of  the  condition 
of  the  neglected  and  the  unfortunate." 

Thus  do  various  and  authoritative  delineators  paint 
the  portrait  stroke  by  stroke,  disclosing,  not  a  char 
acter  marked  (and  marred)  by  brilliant  eccentricities, 
but  one  expressive  of  what  Matthew  Arnold  calls 
"  sweetness  and  light."  Mr.  Dodge  never  dazzles — 
he  is  content  to  serve,  with  stewardship  for  his  right 
hand  and  ministry  for  his  left. 

In  dealing  with  such  a  subject,  the  critic  is  at  first 
perplexed.  The  smoothing  of  angular  lines  seems  to 
imply  a  lack  of  virility — manhood  faded  out  in 
amiable  weakness.  Presently  this  is  discovered  to  be 
the  repose  of  equilibrium.  But  the  delicate  balance 
of  mental  and  moral  power  makes  portraiture  difH- 


334  WILLIAM    E.    DODGE. 

cult,  and  suggests  the  lines  in  which  Dryden  cele 
brates  Oliver  Cromwell  (only  in  this  case  with  much 
more  truth,  for  the  great  Englishman  was  a  man  full 
of  salient  points  and  characteristic  juts)  : 

"  How  shall  I  then  begin,  or  where  conclude, 

To  draw  a  fame  so  truly  circular, 
For  in  a  round,  what  order  can  be  shewed, 
When  all  the  parts  so  equal  perfect  are  ?  " 

It  might  be  thought  that  in  this  case,  as  in  so  many 
others,  eulogy  would  spend  itself  in  a  first  outburst 
of  expression.  But  on  the  i3th  of  January,  1886, 
three  years  after  the  departure  of  our  friend,  his  place 
was  still  so  warm  in  the  hearts  of  his  associates  that 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York  erected  and 
unveiled,  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  upon  a  spot 
where  it  might  proclaim  "  peace  on  earth,  good  will 
towards  men,"  to  the  city  where  he  lived  and  wrought, 
a  life-like  statue  l  of  him  whom  they  honored  them 
selves  in  honoring. 

The  Christian  merchant  stands  in  an  easy  attitude 
on  a  massive  pedestal,  the  water  he  so  stanchly  advo 
cated  trickling  at  his  feet,  the  brow  uncovered  and 
uplifted,  an  expression  of  resolute  goodness  on  his 
noble  face — like  a  benediction  embodied  in  bronze. 
As  the  hurrying  throngs  pass  and  repass,  in  the  morn 
ing,  at  noon,  or  when  the  evening  shadows  begin  to 
build  a  vault  above  the  noisy  thoroughfares  that  here 
converge,  many  are  the  eyes  that  rest  lovingly  upon 
that  form  ;  and  as  the  gazers  recall  the  miracles  of 


1  The  work  of  Richard  M.  Hunt. 


THE    VERDICT.  335 

Christian  progress  in  which  he  bore  a  distinguished 
part,  the  mute  lips  seem  to  tremble  into  speech  to 
say  :  "  Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  see  the  things 
that  ye  see  ;  for  I  tell  you,  that  many  prophets  and 
kings  have  desired  to  see  those  things  which  ye  see, 
and  have  not  seen  them,  and  to  hear  those  things 
which  ye  hear,  and  have  not  heard  them."  Then  with 
a  holier  purpose,  born  of  the  vision,  the  wayfarers 
pass  on,  resolved  like  him  to  live  for  God  and  their 
fellow-men. 


INDEX. 


Adams,  Rev.  Dr.  William,  303,  309. 

Aiken,  Dr.,  90. 

Allison,  231. 

American  Bible  Society,  Mr.  Dodge's   connection  with,   96; 

bequest  to,  154. 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  birth 

of,  92  ;  bequest  to,  1 54,  209,  267. 
American    Sunday  -  School    Union,    Mr.    Dodge's   connection 

with,  87. 

American  Tract  Society,  formation  of,  95. 
American  Union  Commission,  organized,  223. 
Anderson,  Major,  189. 
Angelo,  Michael,  4. 

Anthracite  fields  of  the  Lehigh  discovered,  45. 
Arnold,  Dr.,  163. 
Arnold,  Matthew,  333. 
Aspinwalls,  The,  39. 

Backus,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  C.,  254. 

Bacon,  Lord,  169,  298. 

Bailey,  General  Theodorus,  43. 

Bancroft,  Hon.  George,  278. 

"  Bands  of  Hope,"  formation  of,  95. 

Banks,  231. 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  285. 

Beecher,  Lyman,  94. 

Bell,  177,  179. 

Beman,  Rev.  Dr.,  90. 

Bennett,  James  Gordon,  228. 

Bible  House,  40. 


338  INDEX. 

Bible  Society,  The,  40,  41. 

Bingham,  231. 

Bishop,  Nathan,  264,  265. 

"  Black  Ball  Line,"  The,  48. 

Blair. e,  230. 

Blomfield,  The  English  Bishop,  84. 

Booth,  Wilkes,  249. 

Bottome,  Mrs.,  309. 

Boutwell,  230. 

Bozrahville,  26,  28. 

Breckenridge,  176. 

"  Briareus,"  91. 

Bright,  John,  203. 

Brooklyn,  a  small  village,  46, 

Brooks,  James,  210,  226-229. 

Brunot,  Hon.  Felix  R.,  263,  265. 

Brush,  145. 

Buchanan,  James,  176-177. 

Bunker,  Captain  of  the  "  Fulton,"  47. 

Byron,  60,  231. 

Colquittr  Governor,  316. 

Campbell,  E.  B.,  100. 

Campbell,  Robert,  263. 

Canal  Street,  36. 

Cannon,  Colonel  Legrand  B.,  192-195. 

Castle  Garden  as  a  fort,  43. 

Cavour,  Count,  57. 

Cedar  Street  Church,  39. 

Chatham  Street  Tabernacle  bought  for  Finney,  91, 

Chester,  City  of,  12. 

Chesterfield,  Lord,  236. 

Chichester,  Earl  of,  281. 

Chittenden,  Hon.  S.  B.,  329. 

City  Hall,  The,  41. 

Clay,  Henry,  105,  128,  236. 

Cleveland,  Aaron,  15,  18. 


INDEX.  339 

Cleveland,  Ex-President  Grover,  15. 

Cleveland,  Sarah,  15. 

Clinton,  De  Witt,  47,  48. 

Colden,  Cadvvalader  D.,  39,  46. 

"  Cold-water  Armies,"  Formation  of,  95. 

"  Colic  "  ("  Collect  "),  36. 

Comstock,  Captain,  of  the  "  Connecticut,"  47. 

Congreve,  67,  131. 

Conkling,  230. 

Connoly,  Comptroller,  284. 

Cooper,  Fenimore,  260, 

Cooper,  Peter,  273. 

Cornell,  78. 

Cotton  Mill,  the  first,  erected  in  Connecticut,  15. 

Cox,  Cleveland,  25. 

Cox,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Hanson,  25,  56. 

Cree,  Thomas  K.,  264. 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  334. 

Croton  Water  introduced,  118-119. 

Cuyler,  Rev.  Dr.,  317,  331. 

Davenport,  88. 

Davis,  Noah,  316. 

Dawes,  Henry  L.,  228,  230. 

Democratic  Party,  174. 

De  Peyster,  James,  39. 

Dickens,  Charles,  81,  229. 

Dickey,  Rev.  Dr.  John  M.,  257. 

Dodd,  Mr.,  44. 

Dodge,  Anson  G.,  305. 

Dodge,  Arthur  Murray,  305. 

Dodge,  Charles  C.,  305. 

Dodge,  David,  13. 

Dodge,  David  Low,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  26,  29,  53,  62,  150. 

Dodge,  D.  Stuart,  67,  101,  259,  278,  303,  306. 

Dodge,  Mary,  32. 

Dodge,  Richard,  13. 


340  INDEX. 

Dodge,  Stephen,  18. 

Dodge,  William,  12-13. 

Dodge,  William  E.,  ancestry,  12;  original  home  of  family, 
12;  origin  of  middle  name,  13;  born,  17;  effect  of  Hartford 
on  him,  17;  hears  business  discussed,  18  ;  father  moves  to 
New  York,  18;  sickness,  18;  an  active  and  healthy  boy,  18- 
19;  love  of  animals,  19;  first  school,  19;  other  schools,  20; 
a  natural  student,  20-21  ;  characteristics,  21  ;  resides  with 
uncle,  25;  school  life  ended,  25;  begins  business  life,  25; 
receives  silver  watch,  25  ;  family  move  to  Connecticut,  26 ; 
takes  position  in  store,  26  ;  father's  offer,  27  ;  stocks  his  own 
show-case,  27  ;  overworks,  27  ;  makes  regular  visits  to  New 
York,  28  ;  develops  as  a  Christian,  28 ;  effect  of  revivals  on 
him,  29;  disposition  and  character  29-30;  accident,  31  ; 
visits  Hartford,  31  ;  hears  Nettleton,  31  ;  rises  in  meeting,  31  ; 
makes  public  confession  of  faith,  32  ;  enters  into  Christian 
work,  32  ;  criticism  of  preachers,  32 ;  returns  to  New  York, 
33  ;  lecture  on  "  Old  New  York,"  34-50 ;  letter  extending 
invitation  to  lecture,  33-34;  his  acceptance,  34;  assists 
father  in  business,  53  ;  in  business  for  himself,  53 ;  how  he 
got  the  means,  53-55  ;  active  in  religious  work,  56-58  ;  refers 
to  Sunday-School  system,  56-57*;  identifies  himself  with  it, 
57 ;  "  New  York  Young  Men's  Bible  Society,"  57 ;  meets 
Miss  Phelps,  62 ;  proposes,  65 ;  marries,  66 ;  tells  about 
housekeeping,  68;  "Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co. ,"70-73;  benevo 
lence,  83 ;  conception  of  church,  84-85  ;  Sunday-School 
career,  85-87  ;  "  Missionary  potato-patch,"  92  ;  an  advocate 
of  temperance,  93-95 ;  connection  with  religious  societies, 
95-96  ;  buys  timber  lands,  99-101  ;  interest  in  coal  and  iron, 
101  ;  founds  the  "  Lackawanna  Coal  and  Iron  Company," 
101  ;  "  Erie  Railroad  "  chartered,  102-106;  early  connection 
with  it,  104-105  ;  address  on  its  completion,  105-106 ; 
describes  ocean  navigation,  106-107  ;  the  great  fire,  107-108  ; 
the  United  States  Bank,  110-112;  goes  South,  113-117;  let 
ters,  114-117;  contributions  to  colleges,  etc.,  121-124;  aids 
students  in  ministry,  124-126;  characteristics,  126-128; 
politics,  128-129  ;  first  European  tour,  131-139;  visits  Father 


INDEX.  341 

Mathew,  136-137;  London  preachers,  138-139;  home  again, 
140;  methods,  144-147;  Mercantile  Library  formed,  his  con 
nection  with,  147-148;  loses  father,  150-151  ;  becomes  senior 
member  of  firm,  152;  crosses  the  ocean,  155;  business 
methods,  156-163  ;  member  Chamber  of  Commerce,  167;  its 
president,  167  ;  his  connection  with  New  York  Historical 
Society,  168  ;  goes  to  Europe  again,  169  ;  visits  the  South, 
170-171;  relation  to  slavery,  177-179;  at  Washington, 
181  ;  his  speeches,  181-182;  member  of  "  Peace  Congress," 
182-188  ;  his  speech,  183-186  ;  contributes  toward  defense  of 
the  Union,  190-191  ;  goes  to  Philadelphia  and  Washington, 
191-192;  writes  General  Scott,  193-194;  writes  Secretary 
Stanton,  194-195;  dissolves  active  connection  with  firm,  195; 
"  The  Christian  Commission,"  195-197  ;  in  Virginia,  201  ; 
relieves  the  Lancashire  sufferers,  203-204 ;  courage  during  the 
war,  206-207 ;  "  Rebellion  Record,"  his  connection  with, 
208  ;  nominated  for  Congress,  209-212  ;  lectures  in  Baltimore, 
216-222;  "American  Union  Commission,"  his  relation  to, 
223-224  ;  addresses,  223-225  ;  struggle  for  seat,  226-229  I  m 
Washington,  230-235 ;  oratory  and  speeches,  236-247  ; 
renomination,  247  ;  declines,  247  ;  returns  to  New  York,  247  ; 
business  and  political  activity,  248-251  ;  speech  before  Union 
League  Club,  251-252  ;  before  Presbyterian  Church  at  Pitts- 
burg,  252-253;  visits  Louisville,  254;  interested  in  Negro 
education,  255-259 ;  ''Indian  Affairs,"  his  connection  with, 
263-269  ;  in  the  Indian  Territory,  266  ;  addresses  the  Indians, 
266-267  ;  goes  to  Pittsburg,  267  ;  buys  yellow  pine  lands  in 
Georgia,  271;  "Dodge  County"  named  after  him,  271; 
Speech  in  Cooper  Union  Hall,  273-275  ;  relieves  sufferers  in 
France,  275-276  ;  abroad  again,  277-281  ;  petition  of  Evan 
gelical  Alliance,  presented  by  him,  279-280;  favors  renomi 
nation  of  Grant,  282-283  I  speech  before  Evangelical  Alliance, 
286-288;  entertains  the  "Alliance,"  289;  his  firm  charged 
with  fraud,  289-292 ;  home  life,  295-300 ;  his  golden  wed 
ding,  301-310;  speaks  of  free  trade,  311-312  ;  aids  missions, 
312-313  ;  regard  for  the  Sabbath,  313-316  ;  views  on  temper 
ance,  316-318  ;  last  visit  to  Europe,  319;  in  the  West,  319; 


342  INDEX. 

letters,  320;  at  his  country  residence,  320-321  ;  home,  321; 
death,  322  ;  funeral,  323  ;  estimate  of  the  man,  324-333  ;  his 
statue,  334. 

Dodge,  Mrs.  William  E.,  birth,  63  ;  education,  63 ;  unites  with 
church,  63 ;  character,  62-64  I  meets  William  E.,  62 ;  mar 
ries,  66 ;  children  of,  67  ;  housekeeping,  68 ;  crosses  the 
ocean,  131;  in  the  Indian  Territory,  267;  visits  Pittsburg, 
267;  abroad,  277-281;  aids  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  286; 
entertains  the  "  Alliance,"  289 ;  home  life,  295-300 ;  her 
golden  wedding,  301-310;  abroad  again,  319;  in  the  West, 
319  ;  at  Cedar  Cliff,  320;  home  again,  321  ;  tribute  to,  330. 

Dodge,  William  E.,  Jr.,  195,  198,  303,  306,  309. 

Douglas,  176. 

Dryden,  107,  334. 

Duval,  Claude,  285. 

Dwight,  94. 

Earl,  Mrs.,  13. 

Eaton,  Rev.  Dr.  H.,  303,  309. 

Edison,  Thomas  A.,  145. 

Eggleston,  Mrs.  Thomas,  303. 

Eggleston,  Olivia,  71. 

Eliot,  George,  96,  162. 

Emerson,  3,  n,  99. 

Erie  Canal,  The,  47,  49. 

Erie  Railroad,  chartered,  102,  106. 

Everett,  Edward,  179. 

Farnesworth,  79. 

Farragut,  Admiral,  212. 

Farwell,  John  V.,  263. 

Field,  Cyrus  W.,  278. 

Field,  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  M.,  84,  324. 

Finney.  evangelist,  90-91, 

"  Flag-staff,"  The,  43. 

Fly  Market,  36. 

Fox,  30. 


INDEX.  343 


Franklin,  Benjamin,  78. 

"  Free  Soil  Party  "  organized,  175. 

Fremont,  John  C,  176. 

"  Fugitive  Slave  Law,"  176. 

Fulton,  46,  47. 

Gainsborough,  58. 

Garden  Street  Church,  39. 

Garfield,  231,  240,  318. 

Gas-lights,  introduced,  41. 

Gladstone,  203. 

Goethe,  27. 

Grace  Church,  39. 

Grant,  General  U.  S.,  250-252,  263,  281,  283, 

Grattan,  30. 

Greeley,  Horace,  78,  228,  281. 

Gregory,  53. 

Grinnell,  Hon.  James  B.,  234. 

Gurley,  Rev.  Dr.,  230. 

Guttenberg,  130. 

Hale,  David,  91. 

"  Hall,  Mayor,"  284. 

Hancock,  78. 

Harper,  James,  57. 

Hartford,  City  of,  15,  17,  18,  29,  31,  62. 

Hawes,  Rev.  Dr.,  31. 

Hayes,  231,  318. 

"  Heights,  The,"  37. 

Herrick,  63. 

Higginson,  S.  and  H.,  18. 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  11,  311. 

Hopkins,  Mark,  326,  332. 

Hotchkiss,  246. 

Rowlands,  The,  39. 

Hunt,  Leigh,  4. 


344  INDEX. 

Huntington,  Daniel,  309. 
Hyde,  Erastus,  31. 

Independence,  Declaration  of,  78. 
Indian  battles,  relation  of  Dodges  to,  13. 
Irving,  Pierre,  39.        • 

James,  Daniel,  57,  70,  138. 

James,  D.  Willis,  195. 

Jameson,  Mrs.,  60. 

Jay,  Hon.  John,  278,  321. 

Jewell,  ex-Postmaster  General,  303. 

John,  the  Baptist,  reference  to,  16. 

Johnson,  Andrew,  223,  241,  246,  249,  254. 

"  Juvenile  Societies,"  formation  of,  95. 

Kasson,  231. 
Kerr,  231. 
King,  James  G.,  39. 
Kingsbury,  Rev.  O.  A.,  331. 
Kinney,  Mrs.  E.  C.,  303,  306. 
Kinney,  William  B.,  57,  169. 
Knox,  John,  130. 
Kyd,  Captain,  3,  81. 

Lackawanna  Iron  and  Coal  Company,  101. 

Ladd,  94. 

Lane,  Hon.  H.  S.,  263. 

Lansing,  Dr.,  90. 

Lardner,  Dr.,  102. 

Lawrence,  78. 

Lee,  Gideon,  39. 

Lenox,  Robert,  39. 

Liberty  Church,  39. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  176,  179,  187,  188,  190,  208,  222,  241,  251, 

Litchfield,  17,  18. 

Livingston  and  monopoly,  47. 

"  Livingston,  Chancellor,"  the  new  steamer,  47. 


INDEX.  345 

Lodes,  Benjamin,  104. 
Low,  A.  A,,  248. 
Lowe,  Robert,  255. 
Luther,  Martin,  94. 

Macclesfield,  236. 

Manhattan  Gas  Company,  the,  41. 

Marsh,  94. 

Martyn,  Rev.  J.  H.,  91. 

Mathew,  Father,  134-137. 

Matthews,  Captain,  of  "  Great  Western,"  107. 

McCauley,  Jerry,  313. 

McClellan,  General  George  B.,  209. 

Mendham,  N.  J.,  20,  25,  56. 

Merritt,  the  brothers,  25. 

Micawber,  144. 

Middle  Church,  39. 

Milton,  13,  168.  ..  •  . 

Mirabeau,  236. 

Mitchell,  Dr.  Samuel,  48. 

Moody,  D.  L.,  289. 

Morse,  Samuel  F.  B.,  120,  145. 

Morton,  Peter,  35. 

Municipal  Corruptions,  148,  149. 

Munn,  Stephen  B.,  45. 

Murray  Church,  39. 

Nettleton,  Rev.  Dr.,  29,  31,  63,  89. 

New  Jersey  Central  Railroad  built,  120. 

New  London,  Mr.  Dodge's  trip  to,  47. 

New  York,  18,  20,  25,  34,  39,  41,  329. 

New  York  Bible  Society,  formation  of,  15. 

New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  167,  180,  191,  275. 

New  York  City  Mission,  formation  of,  95. 

New  York  Gas  Company,  41. 

New  York  Peace  Society,  formation  of,  75. 


346  INDEX. 

New  York  Sunday-School  Teachers'  Association,  Mr.  Dodge's 

connection  with,  87. 

New  York  Tract  Society,  formation  of,  75. 
New  York  Young  Men's  Bible  Society,  formation  of,  57. 
North  Dutch  Church,  39. 
Norwich,  city  of,  14,  20. 
Nott,  94. 

Obookiah,  a  native  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  92. 

O'Conor,  Charles,  285. 

Ogden,  F.  B.,  46. 

"  Old  Brick  Church,"  the,  39,  63. 

"  Old  New  York,"  Mr.  Dodge's  lecture  on,  34-50. 

Packard,  79. 

Park,  Professor,  138. 

Peabody,  George,  78. 

"  Peace  Congress,"  182,  188. 

Perham,  231. 

Phelps,  Anson  G.,  40,  63,  65,  66,  69,  70,  71,  72,  73,  79,  89,  90, 

91,  146,  147,  152,  153,  154,  257. 
Phelps,  Anson  G.,  Jr.,  63,  153. 
Phelps,  Caroline  P.  (Mrs.  James  Stokes),  63. 
Phelps,  Elizabeth  W.  (Mrs.  Daniel  James),  63. 
Phelps,  Harriet  Newell,  (Mrs.  Charles  F.  Pond),  63. 
Phelps,  Melissa,  see  Mrs.  William  E.  Dodge. 
Phelps,  Olivia  Eggleston,  (Mrs.  B.  B.  Atterbury).  63. 
Phelps,  William  Walter,  227,  303. 
Phillips,  Wendell,  236. 
Phoenix,  J.  Phillips,  39. 
Pierce,  Franklin,  175. 
Pond,  Mrs.  Charles  F.,  303. 
Postage,  very  high,  44. 
Potter,  Bishop,  316. 
Potter,  Thomas  Bayley,  311. 
Power-looms,  introduction   of,  38. 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  First,  40. 


INDEX.  347 


Prime,  Rev.  Erenaeus,  D.  D.,  279,  325,  330,  332. 
Putnam,  General  Israel,  13. 

Raikes,  Robert,  56. 

Railroad,  the  first  in  New  York  State,  49,  50. 

Randall,  231. 

Raphael,  4. 

Kendall,  Dr.  I.  N.,  257. 

Reed,  Sir  Charles,  M.  P.,  288. 

Raymond,  Henry  J.,  228. 

Republican  Party,  organized,  176,  177. 

Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua,  58. 

Rice,  231. 

Rutgers  Church,  39. 

Salem,  Town  of,  12. 

Schauffler,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  F.,  312. 

Schenck,  231. 

Scott,  General  Winfield,  193. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  107. 

Scranton,  George  W.,  146-147. 

Scranton,  Seldon  T.,  146-147. 

"  Scruggs,  Old,"  81. 

Seward,  W.  H.,  178. 

Shaw,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  C,  326. 

"Shylock,"  81. 

Smith,  Adam,  270. 

Smith,  Jotham,  37. 

Spring,  Dr.  Gardiner,  63,  66,  90. 

Spurgeon,  58,  321. 

Stanton,  E.  M.,  193. 

Steam  Ferry-boats  introduced,  46. 

Stedman,  E.  C.,  303,  306. 

Stephens,  Thaddeus,  231. 

Stephenson,  George,  102,  145. 

Stewart's,  Reference  to,  37. 

St.  John,  Governor,  316. 


348  INDEX. 

Stokes,  Mrs.  James,  303. 
Stoughton,  Rev.  Dr.  John,  288. 
St.  Paul's  Church,  39. 
Stuart,  George  H.,  196,  263. 
Stuart,  Mary,  130. 
Stuyvesant,  Peter,  40. 
Sunday-School  System,  Origin  of,  56. 
Suydam,  James,  39. 
Swartout,  Samuel,  46. 
Sweeney,  Commissioner,  284. 

Talleyrand,  189. 
Tappan,  Arthur,  91. 
Tappan,  Lewis,  91. 
Taylor,  General,  250. 
Tobey,  E.  S.,  263. 
Trinity  Church,  39. 
"Turpin,  Dick,"  81. 
Tweed,  William  M.,  283-285. 

Vandevoort,  37. 

Vandewater  Street  Church,  91. 

Van  Dyck,  Rev.  Dr.  H.  J.,  254. 

"  Vanity  Fair,"  83. 

Verney,  Sir  Harry,  281. 

Vincent,  Rev.  Dr.  M.  R.,  303,  325. 

Wakeman,  Abraham,  44. 

Wall  Street  Church,  39. 

Washburne,  231. 

Washington,  251. 

Watt,  145. 

Webster,  Daniel,  30,  105,  188,  236. 

Wells,  Hon.  D.  A.,  292. 

Welsh,  William,  263. 

Wesley,  Charles,  58. 

Wesley,  John,  58,  88. 


INDEX.  349 

Whelpley,  Philip  Melancthon,  39. 
Whig  Party,  174. 
White,  Norman,  303. 
Whitefield,  13,  88,  89. 
Whitfield,  Thomas,  48. 
Whitney,  Stephen,  39. 
Whittier,  13. 
Wilson,  283. 
Windom,  231. 
Witherbee,  Murray,  303. 
Woodbridge,  Mrs.,  71. 
Woodbridge,  Rev.  Timothy,  71. 
Wool,  General,  192,  202. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Formation  of,  16,  216. 
Young  Men's  Missionary  Society,  Formation  of,  16. 


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